Deepak Hooda slams third 50-plus score in VHT 2023
Deepak Hooda played a captain's knock for Rajasthan in the Round 6 Match of the 2023 Vijay Hazare Trophy against Himachal Pradesh. He rescued his side from a top-order collapse and brought up his third 50-plus score this season. Hooda operated brilliantly in the middle overs before shifting the gears. He ended up scoring 77 off 90 balls (8 fours, 3 sixes).
Another fine knock from Hooda
Batting first at Chandigarh's Sector 16 Stadium, Rajasthan were off to a poor start. The scorecard read 32/3 when Hooda arrived in the middle. While he was watchful, the batter kept finding the odd boundaries. He added 136 runs for the fourth wicket with Ram Mohan Chouhan (61). Though Hooda missed out on a ton, his efforts meant Rajasthan finished at 260/7.
A look at his List A career
Hooda registered his 14th half-century in List A cricket, besides owning five hundreds. As per ESPNcricinfo, Hooda has now raced to 2,697 runs in List A cricket. He averages over 38 in the format. Hooda achieved the mark in his 79th inning (89 matches). 153 of his List A runs have come in 10 ODIs for India though his average of 25.50 is paltry.
Third fifty-plus score this season
As mentioned, this was Hooda's third 50-plus score this season as his previous scores in the competition read 8, 12, 76, and 112*. With 287 runs at 71.75, Hooda is Rajasthan's leading run-getter this season. Moreover, his strike rate is over 98. It must be noted that Hooda previously represented Baroda in the domestic circuit.
