Suryakumar Yadav said that he “really liked” ODI debutant Deepak Hooda's batting performance in the first ODI against West Indies on Sunday.
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India were reduced to 116/4 at one stage in the chase of 177 runs. This is when Suryakumar Yadav joined hands with new batter Deepak Hooda and the duo stitched 62 runs for the fifth wicket to take India home.
"I think things were really clear. I didn't tell him (Deepa Hooda) anything. He has played domestic cricket for last seven years. It was important for him to stay till the end, and his confidence was spot on. I really liked it," said Suryakumar after the game.
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Suryakumar scored unbeaten 34 off 36 balls while Hooda scored 26 not out of 32 balls as India won the game on Sunday by 6 wickets.
When Suryakumar was batting, West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard, who was fielding near him, seemed to be telling him something. The voice of Pollard was not carried on the stump mic clearly as the Caribbean all-rounder smartly stayed away from it while teasing Suryakumar.
"Pollard told me a few things. 'Midwicket was open, why are you not flicking like you do in IPL' but it was different here. I feel the track was almost the same as it was in the afternoon. But due to dew, it became slightly easier in the chase," revealed Suryakumar.
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Riding on Yuzvendra Chahal’s 4/49 and Washington Sundar’s 3/30, India bundled out West Indies for mere 176 runs. In pursuit of the total, the hosts came all guns blazing as skipper Rohit Sharma and stand-in opener Ishan Kishan added 84 runs for the first wicket to further strengthen India’s grip in the game. West Indies tried to bounce back by eventually reducing India to 116/4, but the partnership between Suryakumar and Hooda helped India get a 1-0 lead in the series.
