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Ashish Nehra on Why Deepak Hooda Was Picked Over Sanju Samson For 1st T20I vs Ireland
Ind vs Ire: Nehra reckoned it was not a tough call as Hooda was already in the squad.
Dublin: Eyebrows were raised when Sanju Samson’s name did not not feature in India’s playing XI for the first T20I versus Ireland. Deepak Hooda was picked and he was made to open. Hooda did not disappoint as he remained unbeaten on 47 off 28 balls to take India over the line in the rain-truncated 12-over game. Former India pacer Ashish Nehra explained why Hooda was preferred over Samson. Nehra reckoned it was not a tough call as Hooda was already in the squad.
“No, it’s not a tough call at all. Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi have come in place of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Deepak Hooda was already in the squad, and even Venkatesh Iyer didn’t play a match against South Africa. And the kind of performance Deepak Hooda put in the IPL, as he is one of those players who played for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, the whole season he scored runs, then in the IPL also,” he said in a pre-match show on Sonyliv.
Nehra added: “He started the tournament, playing at 5 or 6 (for LSG) and then he was promoted to number three, and there also he did well. So, his confidence must be high.”
.@HoodaOnFire was the pick of the #TeamIndia batters and was our top performer from the second innings 💥#IREvIND pic.twitter.com/jsZsjxbTZ5
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 26, 2022
In a rather surprising move, Deepak Hooda came to open alongside Kishan in place of Ruturaj Gaikwad. He found his rhythm after a scratchy start and put up a match winning 64-run stand with Hardik.
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