Deepak Hooda was 'pleasantly surprised' by Gautam Gambhir's decision during IPL 2022

Indian all-rounder Deepak Hooda recently made his debut for the Men in Blue in the white-ball format and has since achieved great heights on the international stage. Hooda is now competing for a spot in the team for the next T20 World Cup thanks to his strong performances for India. However, Hooda's accomplishment might not have been possible, according to Vijay Dahiya, the assistant coach of the Lucknow Super Giants, if Gautam Gambhir had not supported him during the IPL 2022 season.

According to Dahiya, Gambhir, who was the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants during IPL 2022, backed Hooda to play in all the games for the franchise. Dahiya said Gambhir's decision surprised Hooda because he had never got that kind of backing in the IPL before. Dahiya also heaped praise on Hooda saying that the all-rounder has got a lot of hunger to perform well. Dahiya described the 27-year-old as a "keen student of the game". 

"Gauti told him, whatever happens, you will play all the games. Deepak was pleasantly surprised, because it's the kind of backing he hadn't got in the IPL. He's a keen student of the game. He wants to get better every day. There is purpose to his training, the hunger is immense. But sometimes, he could become too intense for someone who is keen to do well. He can be hard on himself at times," Dahiya said.

Deepak Hooda's career

Hooda made his international debut in February this year during the West Indies and Sri Lanka's tour of India. Hooda made his ODI debut against the Caribbean side and played his first T20 International against Sri Lanka. Hooda has played 2 ODIs and six T20Is for India since then, where he has scored 55 and 205 runs, respectively. Hooda recently smashed his first international century in a T20I match against Ireland. 

As far as Hooda's IPL career is concerned, the right-handed batter has played 95 matches in the tournament and has scored 1236 runs at an average of 20.26 and with a strike rate of 132.05. Hooda's IPL career received a huge boost earlier this year after he was allowed to bat in the top order by his Lucknow franchise. Hooda will next be seen in action during the ODI series against West Indies, starting July 22. 

(Image: AP/PTI)