Hooda's Heroics Fall Just Short of 250 in Ranji Thriller

On November 3, 2025, Deepak Hooda came agonizingly close to scoring his second 250-plus total in First-Class cricket, but his brilliant 248-run knock still helped Rajasthan gain a massive 363-run lead against Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy Group D fixture.

Resuming from where he left off the previous day, Hooda played a flawless innings as the Sawai Mansingh Stadium surface eased out, guiding Rajasthan to 617 for 6 before Mumbai's openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Musheer Khan steadied the visitors' innings with an unbeaten 89-run stand.

Hooda anchored the innings, while the young Kartik Sharma hit a century, adding 265 runs for the fifth wicket. Despite Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur's efforts to find breakthroughs, the pair looked determined and Kartik eventually brought up his second First-Class ton.

Although Hooda fell just short of 250, he ensured there were no further slip-ups, rebuilding the innings with Kookna Ajay Singh and eventually bringing up his double century. However, his dismissal for 248 came just as his teammates were gearing up to celebrate his milestone.

In the final session, Mumbai's openers Jaiswal and Musheer escaped unscathed, with Jaiswal maintaining a strike rate of 100 and scoring yet another fifty, while Musheer played cautiously.