Deepak Hooda has played the first two ODI matches against West Indies in the ongoing series.
Deepak Hooda fulfilled his dream by receiving a debut cap from Virat Kohli in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies. Hooda donned the India jersey for the first time in the first ODI on Sunday (February 6).
After the second ODI on Wednesday, Hooda revealed it was his dream to get the debut cap from either Kohli or MS Dhoni. He got to bat in both the matches against West Indies and scored 26* and 29 respectively, along with a wicket in the second ODI.
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"I made my debut in the first ODI, it was an amazing feeling. You always work hard for that, before the match I spoke to you (Suryakumar Yadav). I feel blessed to be a part of the side. It was my childhood dream to get cap from either MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli. Getting the cap from Kohli was an amazing feeling. I worked on sidelining the distraction and work on my process," Hooda told teammate Suryakumar Yadav in a video posted on BCCI.TV.
Hooda waited for his turn to feature in the Indian cricket team, having already been recognized for his ability for a while now. He felt 'blessed' to share the dressing room with the likes of Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rahul Dravid.
"Good things take time but keep yourself ready. Obviously, it is a blessed feeling to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. You always learn so much from them. I am just trying to learn from them. My goal is to keep working on my process with the same intent and not worry too much about the outcome," he added.
Rohit and co have sealed the ODI series with a win in the second ODI by 44 runs. They defended 237 at Narendra Modi stadium, and Prasidh Krishna, the pick of the bowlers, bagged four wickets.
(With BCCI.tv Inputs)