Deepak Hooda on his match-winning century vs Ireland: ‘I like playing aggressively’ – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Deepak Hooda was the star performer for India as they completed a series sweep over Ireland with a four-run win in the second and final T20I on Tuesday. Hooda, batting at No 3, played a blistering knock of 104 from just 57 balls and helped India score 225/7 batting first.

Ireland were eventually restricted to 221/5.

Hooda’s knock comprised of nine fours and six maximums as he became only the fourth Indian men’s batter to score a T20I century after Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.

The 27-year-old cricketer who had scored the match-winning 47 not out in the first match was declared the Player of the Match and Player of the Series.

Reacting to his terrific knock, the Lucknow Super Giants player said that his promotion up the batting order has helped him play crucial innings.

“I am coming from a good IPL, I was trying to follow up the same performance here as well. I like playing aggressively. Batting up the order, I have the time, I try to play according to the situation,” Hooda said after the match.

He was also involved in a record 176-run stand for the second wicket with Sanju Samson who scored 77 off 42. Hooda praised his partner in the post-match presentation ceremony and also thanked the fans.

“Sanju is a childhood friend, we played U-19 together, I am happy for him as well. Ireland is very good, I enjoyed it a lot. Fans are superb here, I never feel like playing outside India. Yeah, the wicket is different, thanks to all the fans for the support.”

Hooda has been in top form off late. In the two-match series against Ireland, he scored a total of 151 runs. In the recently-concluded IPL 2022, he smashed 451 runs from 15 matches at a strike rate of 137 as LSG reached the playoffs in their debut campaign.

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