Deepak Hooda came into bat with India precariously placed and his knock of 23-ball 41 helped India post a narrow 2-run win against Sri Lanka in opening game at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. The Men In Blue defended 162 to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. His effort earned him the 'player-of-the-match' award.
However, the pressure appeared to get the better of Hooda, who was seen abusing the on-field umpire. In a video that went viral on social media, Hooda is seen losing his cool in the closing stages of India’s innings. The Lucknow Super Giants all-rounder was left frustrated on the fifth delivery of the 18th over when he left Kasun Rajitha’s delivery alone haoping of getting a wide called. But the on-field umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan did not give it a wide as the batter had moved across his stumps. Unhappy with the decision, Hooda was heard and seen abusing the umpire. He even got into an altercation with the umpire onext delivery.
Tricky No. 6 position
Meanwhile, Hooda understands the difficulties of batting at tricky No. 6 position in T20Is and said he had a clear plan. "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.
Not a collapse
"(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," added Hooda at the post-match press conference.
Respecting the situation
Hooda feels he had to respect the situation and play accordingly but at the slot he is batting, 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 after the spinners had virtually stifled the top and middle-order batters because Wanindu Hasaranga had almost completed his quota of overs and the wicket too had settled down."
