Saba Karim: “I think Shreyas Iyer is ahead of Deepak Hooda in the pecking order”

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim says leading batsman Shreyas Iyer presents his claim better in the Indian cricket team’s white-ball pecking order in the shorter format. He is up against all-rounder Deepak Hooda for a place in the team. Star batsmen Iyer and Hooda are part of Rohit Sharma-led Team India which is on Caribbean tour for the ongoing white-ball series against West Indies. Iyer was preferred over Hooda in the first match of the series between India and West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium.

However, the decision to pick Iyer instead of Hooda failed to pay India rich dividends in the first T20I. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KRR) captain was dismissed for four off four balls in the curtain-raiser of the five-match bilateral series between the two former world champions. Speaking ahead of the second T20I, former cricketer Karim said that Iyer is ahead of Hooda in the Indian pecking order.

“It’s a tough choice. In the home series against South Africa, Shreyas Iyer batted at number 3-4. I think Shreyas Iyer is ahead of Deepak Hooda in the pecking order. That’s why he should be picked in the playing XI as soon as he returns to the T20 team. If that happens, he will have to be given some more chances in the upcoming games,” Saba Karim told India News.

Karim, who played only one Test match and 34 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for India in 2000, also defended Iyer’s selection in the white-ball side of the Asian giants. “One has to remember that Shreyas has shown good form in ODIs, so he is being backed,” said the former cricketer and full-time pundit. Rohit-led India will look to take a 2-0 lead over West Indies when they meet the hosts in the second T20I. India will look to take the lead in the series against the Nicholas Pooran-led side in the second T20I at Warner Park in St Kitts on Monday.