India was in a difficult situation after they were reduced to 112/4 while chasing 177 against the West Indies in the first ODI at Ahmedabad, but Suryakumar Yadav and debutant Deepak Hooda, came together to take the team past the finishing line

After Team India lost a cluster of wickets with the team finding itself in a difficult situation, Suryakumar Yadav (34*) and Deepak Hooda (26*) took charge of the chase, stitching an unbeaten 62-run stand for the fifth wicket to overhaul the paltry target of 177 and win the first ODI by 6 wickets against the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 6).

After winning the game for India, Suryakumar heaped praise on the debutant Deepak Hooda, hailing the all-rounder for his confidence in the difficult situation in his debut game.

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Suryakumar said after the match: “Things were really clear, he (Hooda) has played a lot of domestic cricket, so he knew the situation really well. So we were having little conversations and setting little goals (in our partnership). His confidence was spot on though. Loving with how things are going right now, I’m enjoying my time in the nets as well.”

During the match, West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard and Suryakumar Yadav were seen having a casual chat in Ahmedabad and after the match, he opened up about the banter with his Mumbai Indians teammate during the partnership with Hooda.

He signed off by saying, “Pollard just told me a few things, asked me to play the flick shot towards the mid-wicket region, the one I play in IPL. But I wanted to remain not out. It was difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball due to the dew. It was a little slower in the afternoon, but it became easier for the batters with the dew settling in.”

(Star Sports inputs)