Hard-hitting batting all-rounder Deepak Hooda, who has had a tough last few months, made his bat talk when he finally took the field after a gap of almost five months since the last year's Indian Premier League (IPL) in Punjab Kings' first game of the 2021 edition.
Kings surprised everyone by sending Hooda at No 4 against the Rajasthan Royals at the fall of the wicket of Chris Gayle, ahead of another West Indies swashbuckling southpaw Nicholas Pooran, however, that move of theirs paid off and how.
Hooda took on the RR bowlers from the outset and wreaked havoc as the opponents were clueless on whom to bowl to him as he was smashing every single bowler, whether pacer, spinner, part-timer, everyone was going the distance. Punjab skipper KL Rahul settled at the other end helped him as he could take the required risks and used the belter of a pitch and small boundaries at the Wankhede Stadium to his advantage.
Hooda brought up his fifty of just 20 balls. He hit all-rounder Shivam Dube for a couple of sixes before tearing into leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal for three sixes. Hood smashed six maximums in total before Chris Morris got him out. Hooda's 64-run blitz off just 28 balls was just the booster shot the Kings needed to reach a mammoth score of 221 runs.
Hooda like his Twitter handle was certainly on fire as he looked like he wanted to get back at something. Hooda was obviously suspended by the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) for the whole domestic season after he had walked out of the team alleging misbehaviour on the part of Baroda captain Krunal Pandya.
"At this moment, I am demoralised, depressed and under pressure. As from last some days, my team captain Mr. Krunal Pandya is using abusive language to me in front of my teammates and also other state teams who have come for participation at Reliance Stadium Vadodara,” Hooda had written in a letter to the BCA.
After not playing for five months, Hooda certainly made a statement in just the first game of the season. Twitterati trolled Krunal Pandya regarding the same incident with a memefest.
Here are some of the reactions:
