December 7, 2014, was a special day for Deepak Hooda. After his exploits in the Under-19 World Cup in Dubai, the youngster was chosen to make his first-class debut. And unlike most who are nervous on such occasions, Hooda did something out of the ordinary.
He called up his parents on the morning of the match, asking them to come to the ground to “see him score a hundred”! Two hours later, they stood proud at the boundary line as Hooda slammed 114 for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy match against Bengal.
That knock marked Hooda’s arrival in the big league of cricket, and he took it one step ahead with his gutsy batting in the Indian Premier League playing for the Rajasthan Royals this year. That team-mates Shane Watson and Steve Smith — both from Australia — had nicknamed him “champion” only showed the youngster’s impact this season. Hooda excelled in the game against Delhi Daredevils, scoring 54 in 25 balls in what turned out to be a match-winning knock.
For the 20-year-old Hooda, it was an experience he cannot forget. “Wo kehte hain na success se hawa mein udhne lagte hain... I saw players like Watto, Smith, Rahul Dravid bhai and their reaction after a game, we had won and particularly, when we had lost. I absorbed it all,” says the champ.
Hooda though had to bide his time to impress his seniors at Rajasthan Royals, as he had failed to make the cut for the core group last season — something he can chose to laugh about now. He shares an interesting tale. “In Rajasthan Royals, we used to have a culture of a Pinky doll, which was started by former coach and skipper Shane Warne. Whoever came late for practice, meals or team meetings, was handed the pink-coloured doll as a punishment and that player couldn’t part with it for full 24 hours!
“Believe me, I counted the number of times I was late last year as part of the reserve group. It was 23 times out of 50! Imagine what I would have gone through if I was part of the main squad,” he says with a hearty laugh, adding that it propelled him to be more serious about fitness and discipline.
“I have always been very confident of my abilities and I think the secret is my hard work. When I was given an opportunity to play this year, I decided to give it my all. I focused on my game, fitness and discipline,” says the Baroda all-rounder.
Hooda’s brave batting displays and the massive sixes, earned him rich praise from stalwarts like Dravid and Warne. “The IPL is the best platform for youngsters like me. If one day I would get to play in India colours, I will already know what it is to play in front of big crowds and how to handle pressure. It is the stepping stone but the experience of playing first-class cricket is also very important,” he says.
As a kid, Hooda did not have to look far for inspiration. His father was a kabaddi player and represented Services at the national level. And even though Hooda lied to begin his cricket practice, he says those were times when he wasn’t sure of how to go about things.
“I belong to a sporting family. My father was a kabbadi player and encouraged me to take up sport. I was always interested in cricket, par maine actually cricket khelna jhoot bol kar start kiya tha,” he reveals sheepishly, adding, “I was little afraid to take up cricket and hence used to lie. But gradually my father got to know and supported me.”
“I am very close to my younger brother Ashish. He plays cricket for a club and we often end up having fights at home! There have been occasions when we have been played against each other and I have hit him around the park or got out, and then we have a go at each other at the dinner table. It is funny sometimes... But, I need to speak to him regularly. He is the anchor in my life as he understands my game,” he says.
As the IPL season comes to an end, Hooda is back to where it all began — playing first-class games and charting a plan on how to climb the next rung of the ladder. Among the many things on agenda, learning English is a priority.
Recently when a fan joked on Twitter that Hooda — who gives interviews in Hindi — should be gifted an Oxford dictionary, the youngster came up with a straight bat reply, “I am going to learn it very soon. I am working on it, besides many other things.”
