"No. 3 has been a revolving door for Lucknow, Deepak Hooda should be permanent" - Aakash Chopra ahead of KKR vs LSG in IPL 2022

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) should stick with Deepak Hooda as their No. 3 batter. LSG have tried a number of players like Manish Pandey, Krishnappa Gowtham and even Ayush Badoni in the last game.

However, Chopra feels Hooda is the second-best batter in the IPL team after skipper KL Rahul, having already crossed the 400-run mark for the season. He has proved to be a fulcrum of an LSG middle-order that has looked a bit uncertain whenever the openers have failed to give them a solid start.

Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Aakash Chopra had to say about the Super Giants' batting line-up:

"No. 3 has been a revolving door for Lucknow. They have tried so many players. But I think Hooda should be permanent at No. 3. If there's anyone in Lucknow who is batting better other than Rahul, it is Hooda."

Chopra was also baffled by how the LSG think-tank has under-utilized the power-hitting abilities of all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holder. He wishes to see them bat higher up the order and on this, adding:

"Now is the time to make more use of Marcus Stoinis. Also, try and send Holder up the order. There is no point in batting depth if you don't use your resources well."

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Aakash Chopra on LSG's middle-order

Aakash Chopra believes that although Lucknow have a plethora of all-rounders, they need to be smarter to get the best out of both their batting and bowling.

The 44-year-old felt that sending the likes of Gowtham and Badoni at No. 3 when they had Hooda was not required. He also believes the Super Giants need to make better use of Stoinis. On this, he stated:

"When you have so many multi-faceted players in your ranks, the question arises about how to use them and where. That is exactly their problem. Why did they promote Ayush Badoni to No. 3? And against the same opposition why did they send Krishnappa Gowtham at No. 3? Why do they hold back Marcus Stoinis? I have got no idea."

If Lucknow beat Kolkata tonight (May 18), they will not only end the latter's IPL 2022 campaign but also book their place in Qualifier 1 against the Gujarat Titans.