In-Form Deepak Hooda Slams 59, India Register Easy Win Against Derbyshire in T20 Warm-Up

02.07.2022 - 08:41 sports.ndtv.com

Deepak Hooda continued his fine touch in the ongoing tour as he struck a scintillating half century to help India beat Derbyshire county side by seven wickets in a T20 warm-up match.

Hooda, who had smashed his maiden T20I ton in India's second match against Ireland, made 59 off 37 balls and shared 78 runs for the third wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (36 not out) as India chased down 151 with 20 balls to spare.

Hooda's knock was decorated with five fours and two sixes while Yadav, returning from injury, struck four boundaries and one six during his unbeaten innings on Friday.

Opener Sanju Samson also chipped in with a 30-ball 38 while Dinesh Karthik, who led the visiting side, remained not out on seven to see India home in 16.4 overs.

cricket India Cricket Team 2022 win Dinesh Karthik Umran Malik Ireland India county Southampton Sanju

Pacer Umran Malik made his India debut in the T20 International (T20I) series against Ireland and then also played in the three-match T20I series against England. However, he has not found a place in either the ODI or T20I squad for India's upcoming series against West Indies. Former India batter Aakash Chopra took to Twitter to note his exclusion and said that the team management must have already spoken to the youngster as it is "all about nurturing his talent".

England vs India 2nd T20I Preview: Rohit Sharma-Led Side Eyes Series Win After Dominating Show In Southampton

Star India batter Virat Kohli would be desperate to come out of his prolonged lean patch when he makes his T20 return after five months with the second game against England, in Birmingham on Saturday. Kohli, who last played a T20 international in February, has featured in only two games since India's underwhelming campaign in the T20 World Cup in October-November when he was captain of the national side. The only T20 cricket he played since then was in the IPL but there too he was far from his best.

India vs England, 2nd T20I: With youngsters performing, pressure mounts on Virat Kohli ahead of his T20 return

Kohli, who last played a T20 international in February, has featured in only two games since India's underwhelming campaign in the T20 World Cup in October-November when he was captain of the national side. The only T20 cricket he played since then was in the IPL but there too he was far from his best.

India Predicted XI vs England, 1st T20I: Will Team India Choose Umran Malik Over Arshdeep Singh?

The Indian T20I cricket team gets down to business yet again with a match against T20 World Cup semi-finalists England in Southampton on Thursday. The series is part of the contests that the Rohit Sharma-led Team India will play in the lead up to the 2022 T20 World Cup, starting in Australia in less than three months. Regular captain Rohit is back in the team after recovering from COVID-19, due to which he missed the fifth rescheduled Test at Edgbaston. However, the team will be without other top stars like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. They have been rested after playing the Test that ended on Monday.

Watch: Umran Malik Sends Derbyshire Batter's Middle Stump Flying During India's Tour Match

Umran Malik and his extreme pace are no more a secret to anyone. The bowler caught limelight with his speed in the Indian Premier League in 2021 before putting a further better performance in the next edition. The IPL 2022 season saw Malik picking 22 wickets across 14 games with his best figures being 5/25. The performance helped Umran get an entry to the Indian squad for the series against Ireland before earning another call-up for the nation's upcoming white-ball series against England.

"Felt Special And Great Honour": Dinesh Karthik Reacts After Making India Captaincy Debut vs Derbyshire

While Team India was taking on England in the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston on Friday, Dinesh Karthik made his captaincy debut, leading a second-string Indian team in a Tour game against Derbyshire on the same day. After scoring a century against Ireland in the second T20I earlier this week, Deepak Hooda scored a match-winning fifty as India defeated Derbyshire by seven wickets. Although it was only a practice match, Karthik was elated after making his captaincy debut and shared an emotional message on social media