Deepak Hooda has a point to prove. Lack of performance has kept him out of the national team reckoning for a while now. The 28-year-old last played an ODI in November 2022 while he was last seen in the T20Is in February this year. An underwhelming Indian Premier League (IPL) season followed where he could only garner 84 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 93.33.
With the 2023-24 domestic season underway, Hooda is looking to make every opportunity count. The middle-order batter amassed 179 runs in five outings at a strike rate of 135.60 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that concluded earlier this month (November 6).