Deepak Hooda has to wait because senior players have done well for 10 years, remarks Shikhar Dhawan

The rise of Deepak Hooda since IPL 2022 has attracted a lot of interest among Indian cricket fans. Hooda had a superb IPL campaign this year, scoring more than 400 runs for Lucknow Super Giants while batting at No. 3. He was recalled by the BCCI for his sizzling show and the 27-year-old followed it up with a breathtaking hundred in a T20I match in Ireland. In the process, he became only the fourth Indian to reach the three-figure mark in the format.

Still, Hooda had to warm the bench in England because of the return of Virat Kohli. Then again in the West Indies in the first three T20Is, he was not allowed to get his preferred batting position because of Shreyas Iyer. It might have been a debatable call as many had started assuming him as India's sure starter in the next T20 World Cup in Australia. However, Shikhar Dhawan believes there is no surprise in Hooda's drop. The veteran Indian opener believes Hooda can not become a sure starter when there are senior pros in the mix who have done well for a decade.

"He (Deepak Hooda) sat because a senior player had to play. Deepak is doing well but if there is a senior player, he has to wait because senior players have done so well for 10 years. It is not a big thing. Be it Deepak or someone else, it's quite normal," Dhawan was quoted as saying by India Today.

"If the communication is good, then there is no problem. I'm sure they must have got reasoning. There is a process, every captain and coach has a different process. So, whatever their process is they will go accordingly. I'm sure they are creating a healthy environment out there."