IND vs PAK 2022: "This indicates that the captain doesn't have enough faith in him" - Rajkumar Sharma on Rohit Sharma not giving an over to Deepak Hooda

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma believes that Deepak Hooda could have been given a few overs during the team's Super 4 encounter against Pakistan on Sunday, September 4.

He suggested that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma should have brought the part-time off-spinner into attack when Mohammad Nawaz walked in to bat at No.4. Sharma opined that Hooda would have troubled the left-hander, as he has enough experience bowling in T20 cricket.

The former Delhi cricketer suggested that it seems that the skipper doesn't have enough confidence in Hooda's bowling abilities, as he wasn't used as the sixth bowling option in the clash.

Sharma made these remarks during a discussion on India News Sports on Monday. He said:

"Deepak Hooda was added to the side as he could be a sixth bowling option. He should have been given a couple of overs when Mohammad Nawaz was batting well.

"This indicates that the captain doesn't have enough faith in him as a bowler, or maybe he didn't think that Hooda could have been used against a left-hander. He would have been a useful option as he has bowled quite a lot in T20 cricket."

Notably, Nawaz's innings tilted the game in Pakistan's favor. The southpaw, with his quickfire knock of 42, was instrumental in the Men in Green's thrilling five-wicket victory over India.

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"It is a big fault of the team management" - Rajkumar Sharma questions India's team selection

Sharma further added that India didn't have many options to choose from after Avesh Khan was ruled out of the match due to fever. He questioned the team management's decision to have just three seamers in their squad.

The veteran coach also questioned India's decision to play two leg-spinners despite having Ravichandran Ashwin in their squad. He added:

"India were forced to go with this lineup against Pakistan as India didn't have a replacement for a pacer. It is a big fault of the team management and the selectors that they didn't add an extra fast bowler to the squad. We had Ravichandran Ashwin but still went ahead with two leg spinners."

Rohit Sharma and Co. must win their upcoming contest against Sri Lanka to stay afloat in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. The match is set to be played at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday, September 6.

The India vs Sri Lanka match is set to happen on 6th Sep, find the details on Asia Cup 2022 schedule.