Former batter Aakash Chopra was a tad disappointed with the Indian team management after Deepak Hooda get a chance to bowl in the opening ODI against the West Indies on Sunday, February 6. The 26-year-old made his international debut in the game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after playing domestic cricket for quite a few seasons.
Hooda was impressive with the bat as he made an unbeaten 32-ball 26 with two fours and played at a strike rate of 81.25. He was also involved in a 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket along with Suryakumar Yadav. On the back of his short, yet useful knock, India chased down the target of 177 in 28 overs with as many as 132 balls to spare.
But Hooda didn’t get a chance to bowl in the game, despite India being in a strong position throughout. It’s pertinent to note that Hooda is an effective off-break bowler, with 72 wickets combining all the formats. The pitch in Ahmedabad helped the spinners to a large extent.
Even as Yuzvendra Chahal got the Player of the Match award for his four-wicket haul, Washington Sundar returned with three scalps. Chopra, in the meantime, urged the Indian team management to make optimum utilization of their all-rounders.
He took to Twitter and wrote. “Venkatesh Iyer earlier. Hooda today. Kinda impossible to create all-rounders if they won’t get to bowl…Or…perhaps, selectors are picking players as all-rounders but the team management has little or no faith in their bowling abilities.”
Aakash Chopra’s tweet
Venkatesh Iyer earlier. Hooda today. Kinda impossible to create all-rounders if they won’t get to bowl…Or…perhaps, selectors are picking players as all-rounders but the team management has little or no faith in their bowling abilities. #IndvWI
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 6, 2022
Hooda has quite a bit of experience while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He turned up for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) and played some handy knocks in the middle order. Last season, he played under KL Rahul for the Kings. He is now set to take part in the IPL mega auction on February 12 and 13.
As far as the game on Sunday was concerned, India won by four wickets and took a crucial 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Rohit Sharma took charge as India’s full-time ODI skipper, and he also scored a fifty while opening the batting. Rohit recently recovered from a hamstring injury.
