Deepak Hooda who was named the man of the match in the first T20I of the three-match series between India and Pakistan played a crucial role in the team's victory. He expressed that he understands the difficulties of batting at the tricky No.6 position in T20Is and how he has conditioned himself for any sort of batting collapse.
In the opening game of the series, Hooda came in when India was struggling with a score of 77/4. However, his brilliant knock of 41 runs of 23 deliveries including four sixes got India to a defendable total of 162.
Asked if there was pressure on him when he came in to bat during a crucial part of the innings with India having lost the top and middle order, Hooda said, "I was pretty clear in my mind that if we lose early wickets we have to build a partnership and when you are batting lower down the order at No.6, for a situation like that, being a cricketer, you have to be ready for that. A collapse can happen at any time.
"(But) I don't think it was a collapse in the true sense as we were in a good position. Yes, we lost one or two extra wickets but I think that is the role of a No.6 and No.7 batter (to come and bat with confidence) be it the first or the second match. It's a good win," added Hooda.
Deepak Hooda in T20Is so far:
- Matches played: 20
- Runs scored: 343
- Wickets taken: 5
Hooda feels he had to respect the situation and play accordingly but at the slot, he is batting, more often than not he would need to be a good finisher.
"The kind of wicket you get, you have to play accordingly. You have to give a good total to the team and that was going through my mind being a batsman. Being a No.6 batter, if you are playing at that position, you have to finish the game. So, that was the only thing going on in my mind."
Hooda said he was able to play freely after the spinners had virtually stifled the top and middle-order batters because Wanindu Hasaranga had almost completed his quota of overs and the wicket too had settled down.
"Initially, the situation did not permit hitting the ball hard, but it was his (Hasaranga's) last over and then he bowled a loose ball as well. In a T20 game, you have to keep that intent of hitting. If you get the ball in the right area, you have to smash it. That was, I suppose the perfect time to play my game and partner Axar Patel and thankfully it got executed well," he added.
(Inputs from PTI)
