'You came out of a tough phase, you kept fighting': Irfan Pathan congratulates Deepak Hooda for ODI call-up

IND vs WI: His move to change states worked well for the 26-year-old Hooda, who is being seen as a potential finisher in limited-overs cricket.

Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been rewarded with a maiden India call-up for the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies, and experienced chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav has also returned to the national setup. The BCCI on Wednesday picked an 18-member squad for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against the Caribbean men.

Irfan Pathan and Deepak Hooda (Twitter | IPL)

Apart from the spin duo, Deepak Hooda also caught the attention of Indian fans. The Baroda batter was awarded for his performances for Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well as Vijay Hazare Trophy. His move to change states worked well for the 26-year-old Hooda, who is being seen as a potential finisher in limited-overs cricket.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also extended wishes to Hooda and underlined the "tough" period which he's gone through. "You came out of a tough phase, you kept fighting, kept performing. So proud @HoodaOnFire congratulations. Make the most of it. Congratulations to Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh khan too," wrote Irfan on Twitter.

Irfan earlier had also backed Hooda after a fall-out with Baroda captain Krunal Pandya. Hooda was suspended by the BCA after he left the bio-bubble following an argument with Krunal. The hard-hitting all-rounder decided to leave Baroda and shift his base to Rajasthan for the domestic season.

Pathan, who has played most of the domestic cricket for Baroda, had described Hooda's exit as ‘utterly disappointing'.

“How many cricket associations will lose out on a player who is in the Indian team probables list? Deepak Hooda leaving Baroda cricket is a huge loss. He could have easily given his services for another ten years as he is still young. As a Barodian It’s utterly disappointing!” Pathan had tweeted.

Hooda was part of the Nidahas Trophy squad in Bangladesh four seasons back but didn't get a game. It'll be interesting to see the role assigned to him in the West Indies series. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian camp is scheduled to play three ODIs at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad from February 6 followed by the T20I series at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata from February 16.

Also, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami have been rested from the series while KL Rahul will be available from the second ODI onwards. Ravindra Jadeja is undergoing his final stage of recovery post his knee injury and isn't available for the ODIs and T20Is, and Axar Patel is available for the T20Is.