Batting sensation Ayush Badoni continues his upward trajectory

For many children, terraces are a place for carefree games and laughter. But for Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni, these humble spaces became the foundation for honing their cricketing skills. On the terrace of his Roorkee home, Pant’s father tied a pillow to his chest, teaching him to face fast, rising deliveries without fear. In New Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh, Badoni’s father turned their terrace into a practice arena by setting up nets, ensuring his son could train relentlessly.

By sheer coincidence, both Pant and Badoni are products of New Delhi’s Sonnet Club, which was run by Tarak Sinha until his death in November 2021. Both middle-order batsmen represent Delhi in domestic tournaments. Pant is now a permanent fixture in the senior Indian team, while the 24-year-old Badoni has already represented India at the junior level.

Badoni is currently in fine form in domestic competitions. His latest achievement came in a Ranji Trophy match against Jharkhand at his home ground, the Ferozeshah Kotla. With the visiting team pushing Delhi against the wall, Badoni, as the new captain, hammered an unbeaten 205 off just 216 balls (16 fours, 10 sixes), helping his team take a crucial first-innings lead and secure three points while Jharkhand got one. These points could be decisive in Delhi’s struggle to qualify for the quarterfinals.

A defeat in this match would have virtually ended Delhi’s campaign. “These are three important points for the team. Winning this match was crucial because of how the last game against Chandigarh went [ending in an unexpected defeat]. Now, we’ll try to qualify for the semis,” Badoni said after the match.

Question of survival

Thanks to Badoni’s maiden double century, Delhi lives to fight another day, though the road to qualification remains challenging. Delhi, like the other teams in their eight-team Group D, has two round-robin league matches left – against Saurashtra and the Railways – both away games. Delhi and the Railways are tied for third place with 14 points each, but the Railways (0.898) have a slight advantage over Delhi (0.845) on quotient. Meanwhile, Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu are tied for the top spot with 19 points each. Only two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals.

The final group match between Delhi and the Railways could decide their fate, but for that to happen, Delhi must first beat Saurashtra. Delhi’s progress will also depend on the outcomes of other matches in the group. A win earns six points, a draw with a first-innings lead brings three, and a defeat yields none. The next round of matches will commence on January 23, after a two-month break, during which the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be played at various venues, with Delhi’s Group C matches scheduled in Mumbai.

Maiden double ton

Badoni was appointed captain, replacing Himmat Singh, after Delhi’s defeat to minnows Chandigarh in their fourth match. This decision by the selection committee was seen as a knee-jerk reaction to the loss. Himmat took the selectors’ decision in stride but failed to deliver with the bat against Jharkhand. Delhi has fielded 24 players in just five matches, with nine of them playing only one match each, raising questions about the selection policy.

So far, Yash Dhull has been Delhi’s most successful batsman with 367 runs in five matches (two centuries and a half-century), followed closely by left-handed opener Sanat Sangwan with 337 runs (two half-centuries). However, the standout individual performance has undoubtedly been Badoni’s 205, surpassing his previous best of 191. This knock not only saved Delhi from embarrassment but also kept their hopes alive for the next match. Badoni missed two Ranji games as he was representing India A in the T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Oman.

Badoni’s childhood coach, Balraj Kumar, says he has trained him to play according to match situations. “Many players don’t have the vision to see beyond their own game. I have taught Ayush to read match situations, adapt, and choose his shots accordingly. If he doesn’t want to play a shot, no bowler can make him. He has such control over his game,” Balraj told Patriot from Hoshiarpur where he is based.

“He has a sound technique and can adjust to both T20 and multi-day formats. During his double century against Jharkhand, he demonstrated excellent focus and concentration. He can bat an entire day with the same intensity. He is an intelligent and attacking player,” said the 48-year-old ICC Level-I coach.

Terrace nets

As a child, Badoni attended nets at DAV School in Shalimar Bagh, where Balraj first met him and his father.

“Their home was next to the school. When Ayush was about nine, he would only get a few balls to play at the end of net sessions. To provide him with more practice opportunity, his father, in consultation with me, set up nets on their terrace. Ayush began playing 300 or more balls daily on the terrace, which greatly benefited his development,” Balraj said. “We were possibly the first in Delhi to set up terrace nets, and many others followed suit.”

Even as a child, Badoni would play aggressive strokes, recalls Balraj, who encouraged his natural style. Badoni is often compared to Virender Sehwag and left-hander Rishabh Pant in terms of approach.

However, his journey has not been without setbacks. In his early teens, he was overlooked for an age-group Delhi team despite scoring four centuries in an under-14 tournament. “I told his father that if centuries weren’t enough for selection, Ayush would score double centuries to make his case. He started working harder, facing double the number of balls at practice and increased his diet. The results followed,” Balraj said.

Rising graph

Badoni joined Sonnet Club in 2016-17 and took admission to Modern School (Barakhamba Road) in standard XI, based on his batting potential. “He opened for the school and batted in the middle order for Delhi. If he survived the first few balls, he would dominate the innings,” said school cricket coach Naveen Chopra.

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Badoni represented Delhi in several tournaments, including the under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, the under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy, and the Vinoo Mankad Trophy.

A high point for Badoni came in the under-19 Asia Cup in 2018, where he was one of four half-centurions in the final against Sri Lanka in Dhaka. His blistering 28-ball 52 not out helped India post 304 for three, after which left-arm spinner Harsh Tyagi claimed six wickets to bowl Sri Lanka out for 160, securing a 144-run victory for India. Badoni finished as the second-highest run scorer of the tournament with 199 runs, behind Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 318. Another memorable performance came in 2018 during a youth ‘Test’ against Sri Lanka’s under-19 team in Colombo, where he scored an unbeaten 185 at No. 7.

Since current India coach Gautam Gambhir is also an alumnus of Modern School, he received positive feedback about Badoni—something he would have considered while selecting the squad for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), a new IPL franchise, as their mentor in 2022. LSG signed Badoni for Rs 22 lakh, and he quickly impressed with his performances and commitment. As a result, LSG recently retained him for Rs 4 crore for the IPL 2025, allowing Badoni to focus fully on the Ranji Trophy—a factor that may have contributed to his impressive double century against Jharkhand.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi and has covered sports for over three decades)