"Can see how badly Deepak Hooda wants to perform" - Fans react to the Indian batter's scintillating knock in 1st T20I vs Sri Lanka

Team India batter Deepak Hooda showcased impressive form in the T20I series opener against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3.

The Men in Blue were in trouble after losing wickets in quick succession after the visitors decided to field first. Hooda, who walked out to bat at No.6, delivered a gutsy performance to take India to a decent total.

The swashbuckler struck an unconquered 41 off just 23 balls. He entertained viewers with his quick-fire knock, hitting four stunning sixes and one boundary. Hooda stitched together a stunning unbeaten partnership of 68 runs with Axar Patel for the sixth wicket, helping India post 162/5 in 20 overs.

Several fans took to social media to shower praise on Hooda for his batting exploits in the encounter. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl first in the opening encounter of the T20I series. While Indian opener Ishan Kishan chipped in with a valuable 37-run knock, the other top-order batters failed to make their presence felt.

Apart from Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel's late blitz, skipper Hardik Pandya also contributed 29 crucial runs as the Men in Blue gave Sri Lanka a target of 163 runs.

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Deepak Hooda was in tremendous form in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2022-23

Deepak Hooda made his return to the Ranji Trophy after almost three years. Playing for Rajasthan in the ongoing season of the domestic competition, the right-handed batter played some spectacular knocks prior to the Sri Lanka series.

The 27-year-old hit two hundreds and a half-century in three innings. The talented batting all-rounder mustered 382 runs at a mammoth average of 191. The part-time spinner also went on to bag three scalps in those appearances.

Notably, Hooda is not a part of India's ODI squad for the Sri Lanka home series. He will be aiming to come up with such dominant performances in the coming games too, as he looks to cement his place in the country's white-ball teams.