Ayush Badoni the batsman, bowler and captain enjoying pressure of responsibility

Ayush Badoni, the newly-appointed Delhi skipper, says he revels in the pressure that captaincy brings.

“There is pressure of captaincy, but I like that pressure,” said Badoni after he scored a double century, 205 not out off 216 balls on Saturday, to help Delhi snatch three points from Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy that kept the team alive and in contention for the knockouts even if it is by a slender thread. 

The innings came at the right time. Delhi had lost to Chandigarh, a relatively weak team and on the third day, were struggling at 158/5, chasing 382 made by Jharkhand in their fifth Ranji Trophy match at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground of Arun Jaitley Stadium. 

Badoni had faced criticism for being profligate.

“My concentration was getting lapsed because I was scoring quick 40s and 50s. I worked on that. I decided that when I reach 40s, I should start afresh and take new guard,” said Badoni to media. 

“I always wanted that when I become captain I should help the team win the match, and I did.”

Badoni had to bat with the tail. Both Sumit Mathur (43 off 116 balls) and Shivam Sharma (33 not out off 73 balls) added 150 and unbeaten 61 for the sixth and eighth wicket respectively.

“I was giving them confidence that if you can bat with me, we will get to this target. This was very important for all our players, since we had lost the last match outright.”

Badoni is one of the five players retained by Lucknow Super Giants for the next season and that, he says, has helped him clear his mind.

“I always had it my mind that if I am retained, the auction will go out of my mind and I can focus on the domestic season. Now that I am the captain, we will work on consistency,” said the right-hander who came in at No. 4, a position where he had already scored two hundreds before.

A few months ago, Badoni had messed up the final of the Delhi Premier League by bowling the last over in which he conceded 30 runs in an over, going for five sixes against Mayank Rawat. East Delhi Riders went on to win that match by three runs as those 30 runs eventually made the difference for South Delhi Superstarz. 

But Badoni remains unfazed and he says he has worked on his off-spin under the Delhi team coach Sarandeep Singh. He is Delhi’s highest wicket-taker this season with nine sticks.

“I will bowl, have highest wickets for Delhi. I worked a lot with Sarandeep Singh too. Bowled in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) too. Sarandeep sir told me to bowl as well. That is why I took it seriously. He told me some adjustment related to the thumb, and that is where I worked.”

Badoni has been seeking help from Justin Langer, the LSG coach and went to train in Perth in Australia. 

“The pitches there are different from here. Those were bouncy pitches and I got good exposure. Justin Langer taught a lot of things, how to control aggression and how to take it out.”

“When I talked with Justin, the discussion was overall. At WACA in Perth, he helped me change a few things, including in grip. That helped me.”

Tags : Ayush Badoni, Double Century, Ranji Trophy, Delhi cricket, Jharkhand, Arun Jaitley Stadium