Deepak Hooda starred with the bat in India’s thrilling two-run victory over Sri Lanka in the T20I series opener at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Tuesday (January 4).
Batting at No. 6, Hooda slammed 41 not out off 23 balls with 1 four and 4 sixes, propelling the hosts to 162/5 in 20 overs.
When Hooda arrived in the middle, the Men in Blue were struggling at 77/4 in the 11th over. Amid the pressure situation, he added 68 runs for the sixth wicket with Akshar Patel (31* off 20 balls) to take the home team to a defendable total.
For his stunning knock, Deepak Hooda earned the 'Player-of-the-Match' award and he shared his experience of batting in the lower order.
"I was pretty clear in my mind that if we lose early wickets we have to build a partnership and when you are batting lower down the order at No.6, for a situation like that, being a cricketer, you have to be ready for that. A collapse can happen at any time,” said Hooda at the post-match press conference.
"(But) I don't think it was a collapse in the true sense as we were in a good position. Yes, we lost one or two extra wickets but I think that is the role of a No. 6 and No. 7 batter (to come and bat with confidence) be it the first or the second match. It's a good win," he added.
Hooda further said that the slot he is batting at, more often than not he would need to be a good finisher.
"The kind of wicket you get you have to play accordingly. You have to give a good total to the team and that was going through my mind being a batsman. Being a No.6 batter, if you are playing at that position, you have to finish the game. So, that was the only thing going on in my mind."
Hooda said he was able to play freely as Wanindu Hasaranga had almost completed his quota of overs and the wicket too had settled down.
"Initially, the situation did not permit hitting the ball hard, but it was his (Hasaranga's) last over and then he bowled a loose ball as well. In a T20 game, you have to keep that intent of hitting. If you get the ball in the right area, you have to smash it. That was, I suppose the perfect time to play my game and partner Akshar Patel and thankfully it got executed well," he remarked.
According to him, the hosts were 10-12 runs short of an ideal score but insisted that there was not much dew initially and the ball came slower on to the bat.
"The (team) meeting hasn't taken place, but we were certainly 10-12 runs short. But at the end we got a good total," Hooda said.
"Generally, there is dew on the Wankhede (pitch), but in the first innings there was not much dew, because of which the wicket was a bit slow. But the way the openers started and then we finished it strongly and that's what the game demands," he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
