Deepak Hooda was the hero for the Indian T20I Team in the first T20I against Ireland. The team was belted for 108 runs in 12 overs and it looked like a difficult score to get. But Deepak Hooda walked in and made the chase look as easy as it gets. He belted the Irish bowlers for 47 runs at a strike rate of 162.33! It was a very brave call by the Indian team management to promote Hooda up the order and to float Ruturaj Gaikwad down the order. But Deepak Hooda has had his career on the rise for the past two years! What exactly has happened in this time? Here is an in-depth look:
Deepak Hooda was a Young Prospect Picked by the Rajasthan Royals:
In the early stages of his career, Deepak was scouted by the Rajasthan Royals back in 2015. He was cited to be one of the cleanest hitters of the ball and a multidimensional player. But it was always about his potential. His performances would barely show on the pitch. And the ones that showed were in a losing cause. The situation was not very ideal and the same ordeal was carried on for 3 to 4 years. He was becoming a fringe player. He was also a part of the age-group cricket circuit of India.
Deepak Hooda Played for Baroda Domestic Teams:
In the early stages of his career, Deepak Hooda played for the Cricket Association of Baroda. In the year 2019, he had a fallout with the then-senior player and captain Krunal Pandya. Deepak Hooda had given a written complaint to the Baroda management regarding the same. Krunal had allegedly abused Deepak in front of other teammates and that was disrespectful. Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda have sorted their differences now and also play together. But the Baroda Cricket Association in turn asked Deepak Hooda to step away from the game.
He was pressurized to leave the team. Hooda graciously accepted the decision and went back to his native Rajasthan Cricket Association. The storm inside of Hooda was yet to come out. The beast was yet to unleash. He went and took a leadership role that was offered to him by Rajasthan and the rest is one of the best comebacks.
Hooda Played for Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants:
Deepak Hood dominated domestic white-ball cricket from 2019 onwards. He was unstoppable. The potential that he had was finally turning into performances. He had great performances in SMAT 2019, SMAT 2020, and SMAT 2021. His performances in Vijay Hazare Trophies were also good. He was the top batter for Rajasthan every season he played for them. This earned Deepak a call to play for the Punjab Kings in 2020. He wasn’t the best that season but dominated in one of the innings. He scored 62 runs in 21 or 22 balls. IMG SRC
Come 2022 and Deepak was one of the best batters in the league. He didn’t top score but his performances were crucial and came in crunch situations. He also got his well-deserved National Team call-up in this very home season. His performance till now, in the limited opportunities, is exceptional.
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