SMAT | Hooda headlines Rajasthan’s emphatic win over Tamil Nadu

Batting implosion, dropped catches, and the unhesitant lucid cold-fury of Deepak Hooda’s unbeaten 76 (36b, 6×4, 6×6) combined to condemn Tamil Nadu to a six-wicket drubbing by Rajasthan in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Elite Group-D opening round match at the Narendra Modi Stadium B-Ground here on Wednesday.

Hooda didn’t so much attack as command the arc straight down the ground. It was an innings built not on improvisation but on an unshakeable certainty: if it was in his arc, it was going straight back where it came from — a blur past the non-striker, past the umpire, past the rope before the fielders even twitched.

Rajasthan’s Deepak Hooda in action during The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy cricket match against Tamil Nadu at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

He struck five sixes in the ‘V’, the standout being a one-handed straight hit off left-arm spinner Sai Kishore that sailed well beyond the sightscreen. He also swept the same bowler for a couple of fours to deep square leg, before producing an imperious lofted straight drive for a four off pacer R. Rajkumar.

He added 60 runs for the third-wicket partnership with Mahipal Lomror (17) and 49 for the fourth-wicket stand with Kartik Sharma (35). Kartik tore into Sai Kishore, hitting him for a long-on six, a pulled six over midwicket, and a straight four — all off successive deliveries.

Rajasthan’s players celebrate the fall of a Tamil Nadu’s batsman during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy cricket match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

Hooda was dropped twice — first on 30 by Tamil Nadu captain Varun Chakaravarthy at cover off Rajkumar, and later on 56 by Sai Kishore at deep square leg off Varun.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu’s top and middle order unravelled, thread by thread, until a brain-fade run-out tugged at the final stitch and left it tottering at 89 for six.

It took a 32-run seventh-wicket stand between all-rounders Sonu Yadav (43 n.o.) and Rajkumar (17), followed by a 30-run eighth-wicket union between Sonu and Varun (11) to drag Tamil Nadu to a competitive total.

Tamil Nadu’s Jagadeesan in action during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy cricket match against Rajasthan at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

Tushar Raheja skied a pull to cover off Ashok Sharma, and Amith Sathvik edged a cut to third man off the same pacer. Shivam Singh top-edged a sweep to deep backward square off Manav Suthar, N. Jagadeesan slapped Kamlesh Nagarkoti to deep point, Sai Kishore missed a reverse sweep to be bowled off Suthar, and Shahrukh Khan ran himself out going for a quick single.