Sanjay Manjrekar Backs Deepak Hooda: The Indian cricket team is gearing up for the upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland, which will kickstart from 26th June, Sunday. The Indian side will be led by star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, in the absence of senior players. While the Indian side will be missing some of its regulars, Deepak Hooda is likely to feature in the upcoming series.
Deepak Hooda Had An Amazing Run In IPL 2022
Deepak Hooda recently had a brilliant season in the just concluded 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, where he played for Lucknow Super Giants. It won’t be wrong to say that he was one of the major reasons behind the team’s success in the playoffs this season.
In IPL 2022, Hooda impressed everyone with his aggressive batting display as he gave amazing support to the captain KL Rahul in the middle orders. He finished the season with impressive 451 runs to his name with four half-centuries. Impressed with his performances, the BCCI called him for the T20I series against Ireland.
Sanjay Manjrekar Backed Hooda
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer turned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar has backed the all-rounder to come good for the national side. Manjrekar believes that this is the perfect time for Hooda to make a comeback to the national side after getting snubbed from the series against South Africa.
Sanjay Manjrekar also feels that the middle-order batter has shown his abilities to everyone in IPL 2022 and has matured a lot. He said:
“I am expecting him to get a look in this (Ireland) series because I thought we saw the best of Deepak Hooda in this last IPL. He has been around for a long time, and you have seen sporadic displays of his work and his ability. The last IPL, he came of age,”
Considering that the Indian cricket team’s middle-order is struggling badly to score runs, Manjrekar feels that India needs someone like him to take the pressure off the finishers. He said:
“India needs somebody like him down the order. It’s a very difficult job, and Hooda did a terrific job in the IPL. He is somebody that India will, I am sure, look at,”
