CHENNAI: When India was 94/4 after 14 overs in the first T20I against Sri Lanka, Deepak Hooda was batting on six from eight balls. The pressure was building on him as well as skipper on Hardik Pandya, having scored just eight runs in the previous two overs one each from Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga.
It was time for them to accelerate the innings. However, things took an unfavourable turn when Pandya was dismissed on the very first delivery of the 15th over. The onus was now solely on Hooda to shoulder the responsibility and take India to a respectable total.
Now, it is not a role that is new to Hooda. Although he had batted at the top for India in Ireland and even scored a T20I century, it is not where he built his reputation in the lead-up to his debut. Since moving to Rajasthan in 2021, Hooda’s USP has been smashing bowlers for fun in the middle order.
It was the season that changed things around for him. Hooda finished the 2021-22 Syed Mushtaq Ali as the second-highest run-scorer 294 runs in 6 innings at a strike rate of 168.
In the 2022 Indian Premier League too, it was the same story. Batting in the middle-order for Lucknow Super Giants, Hooda accumulated 451 runs at 136.67 SR.
But those numbers don’t tell the impact he had on the top-heavy team. Of the eight times Hooda faced 25 deliveries or more, he finished with a 150+ SR five times. When Hooda stays long enough, he puts the team in a winning position. The Indian team management knows it too. This is why, despite the doubts cast on his place in the lower-middle order, they backed him to come good.
On Tuesday, the situation was perfectly poised for him to do the same. From six runs off eight balls, Hooda went on to smash an unbeaten 41 from 23 balls, helping India get to 162/5. In the process, he took a particular liking to Hasaranga and Theekshana, smashing 22 from 7 balls off the spin duo after Pandya’s dismissal.
The hosts scored 61 runs in the last five overs. Hooda had done what was asked of him. “You have to be ready for such situations when you’re batting in the lower order, at No. 6. There can be a collapse any time and it was not a collapse today as such, we were in a good position early on. But yes, that’s the role of a No. 6 or 7,” Hooda said.
Much like his then-Rajasthan Royals teammate, Hooda has come a long way since making a mark as a 19-year-old in the 2015 IPL. The “Hooda Hurricane” was expected to sweep across the world back then. Instead, as if stuck in a hurricane himself, Hooda went through a turbulent ride.
So much so that two years ago he almost left the sport after the hard time he had in the Baroda dressing room. He left the team in the middle of the tournament, struggling to find his way back into the game. It was when he found support in Irfan Pathan and a new home in Rajasthan. From thereon, he hasn’t looked back.
After the low in early 2021, Hooda has grown from strength to strength. Now, in an Indian team that is going through a transition phase in the T20 format, Hooda has made an early impact. And by the time 2023 ends, the world will know whether “Hurricane Hooda” has finally arrived on the international stage.