Ranji Trophy: Captain Ayush Badoni’s maiden double ton drives Delhi home | Cricket News

Ayush Badoni’s scintillating double-century helped Delhi walk away with the first-innings lead against Jharkhand on the final day of their Ranji Trophy fixture at the Arun Jaitely Stadium on Saturday.Badoni struck a six straight over left-arm spinner Manish’s head to reach his first double-century in first-class cricket. The shot also helped Delhi cross Jharkhand’s first innings total, and once Badoni was done with celebration, the players shook hands. Delhi finished 388 for 7 in response to Jharkhand’s 382. The win helped Delhi garner three points and kept them in contention for the knockouts.
“It was very exciting. I wanted that, if I become captain, I would play this kind of knock and I did it today,” Badoni said.
Badoni resumed his innings from 116 and kept playing shots. Throughout his knock, he was at his brutal best against the spinners, smashing 10 sixes: four each against the left-arm spin duo of Manishi and Anukul Roy, and two against off-spinner Utkarsh Singh.
Badoni forged a 150-run stand for the sixth wicket with Sumit Mathur (43) and then an unbeaten 61-run stand for the eighth wicket with Shivam Sharma (33 not out) to turn the tide in favour of Delhi. “Those partnerships were crucial. I tried to give them the confidence. I knew if I would get a little help, we would have the first innings lead,” he said.
Delhi’s last two Ranji Trophy fixtures are in January against Saurashtra and Railways. Badoni, who was appointed captain two days before this match, feels Delhi can still qualify for the knockouts.
“These are three important points for the team. Winning this match was crucial because of how the last game against Chandigarh had gone. Now, we’ll try to qualify for semis,” he added.
The newly-appointed captain admitted he was not able to convert his starts and was getting out after scoring crisp 40s.
“Yes, I was losing concentration. Because I was making runs very fast — (scores of) 40s and 50s. So, I worked on that. When I was batting on 40s, I took a fresh guard and started again,” he said.
Badoni, who has been retained the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the mega auction, credits franchise coach Justin Langer with whom he spent a month at the WACA in Perth last year.
“Yes, the wickets there are different from here. The wickets were very bouncy. It was fun to play there. It was a good exposure. Justin Langer also taught me a lot about aggression. How to control aggression and when to take it out. He changed some things in my grip, which has helped me a lot,” he said.
Interestingly, Badoni, who has played only three matches this season, is also Delhi’s leading wicket-taker with nine wickets. He missed two rounds of the Ranji Trophy because he was part of India A’s squad in the Emerging Asia Cup. The 24-year-old said he was working on his bowling with Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh.
“I did a lot of work on my bowling with Sarandeep sir, who was also an off-spinner. When I came after the IPL, I thought about being an all-rounder.
“I bowled in Delhi Premier League too. Sarandeep sir told me that my bowling would be an addition and an asset to the team. So, now I am serious. He told me a few things related to thumb, and I am working on it,” he said.
Delhi’s captain also has a stern warning for his batters, who have not been consent enough this season. “Now, they will be consent. The captain has changed,” he said.
Brief Scores of Jharkhand vs Delhi:
Jharkhand 1st Innings: 382 (Kumar Kushagra 156, Sharandeep Singh 66, Simarjeet Singh 3/52) vs Delhi 1st Innings: 388 for 7 declared (Ayush Badoni 205 not out, Anuj Rawat 52; Vikas Kumar 2/66)