WATCH: In Form Deepak Hooda Smacks Moeen Ali For Consecutive Sixes

Deepak Hooda smacked 33 runs off 17 deliveries with 3 fours & 2 sixes as India opted to bat first against England in the 1st T20I at Southampton.

Cricket Image for WATCH: In Form Deepak Hooda Smacks Moeen Ali For Consecutive Sixes (Image Source: Google)

ENG vs IND 1st T20I: In the first T20I against England, team India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss & opted to bat first. In the very first over, the Indian captain made his intentions clear and adopted an aggressive approach. However, Rohit Sharma was dismissed after scoring a quick 14-ball-24 runs but the #3 batter, Deepak Hooda, didn't let the run rate falter. 

Deepak Hooda made full use of the opportunity as he thrashed all the English bowlers, scoring 33 runs off just 17 balls. Although Hooda threw his wicket away due to poor shot selection against Chris Jordan, but he had already smacked a bunch of fours and sixes till then. His first target was spinner Moeen Ali as the Indian batter smacked two consecutive sixes in Moeen Ali's second over. 

Hooda had faced only one delivery prior to this as he danced down the track to smack a six over long-on. This shot was enough to prove to the spectators that the batter is filled with confidence. The 27-year old didn't halt here as he came down the track yet again on the very next delivery and dispatched it over the same region for an even bigger six. Due to this onslaught, England captain Jos Buttler had to withdraw Moeen Ali from the bowling attack. 

The kind of explosive performance and form Deepak Hooda has displayed in the last three T20Is, not only the fans but even the cricket experts are talking about including Deepak Hooda in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. It'll be interesting to see whether the player retains his spot after Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant & Shreyas Iyer's return to the side.