‘Truly honoured and blessed’ – Deepak Hooda pens heartfelt note after impressive show on ODI debut

Years of patience and hard work finally paid off for Deepak Hooda as the all-rounder made his much-awaited international debut in the first ODI against West Indies on Sunday (February 6). The game marked history as India became the first team to feature in 1000 ODIs. Rohit Sharma’s men celebrated the occasion with a comprehensive six-wicket win, earning a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Hooda was impressive in his maiden international outing as he played a brief but impressive cameo. Coming to bat at number six, the dasher showed no signs of nervousness and played some delightful shots. With the help of a couple of boundaries, Hooda scored an unbeaten 26 off 32 deliveries as the Men in Blue chased down 177 in just 28 overs.

Receiving Team India cap from Virat Kohli was a dream come true: Deepak Hooda

Needless to mention, Hooda would have been pleased with his performance and the same was evident in his post after the game. The 26-year-old took to Twitter and shared the clip of him receiving the Team India cap from former captain Virat Kohli. He also penned a heartfelt post alongside the video.

“Truly honoured and blessed on getting the opportunity to represent my country. A very special and dream come true moment for me to receive the cap from @imVkohli bhaiya. Thank you to each and everyone involved in this wonderful journey!!,” read the caption of the post.

Truly honoured and blessed on getting the opportunity to represent my country🇮🇳💙
A very special and dream come true moment for me to receive the cap from @imVkohli bhaiya.
Thank you to each and everyone involved in this wonderful journey!! pic.twitter.com/7bTTbPAWLa

— Deepak Hooda (@HoodaOnFire) February 6, 2022

Meanwhile, Hooda shared an unbeaten 62-run stand for the fifth wicket alongside Suryakumar Yadav to take his side over the line. Speaking of the debutant’s performance, Yadav said Hooda didn’t face much trouble and his confidence was commendable.

“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,” said Suryakumar after the game.

It must be noted that the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya are unavailable for this series and Hooda is certain to feature in all ODIs. Hence, he would be determined to make most of this opportunity.