New Delhi, India
Ayush Badoni's name was on every cricket fan's lips after the debutant set the stage alight on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut against Gujarat Titans on Monday (March 28). The young batter from Delhi stole the show with his impressive batting under pressure for his side Lucknow Super Giants in their opening game of the season and earned applause from all corners.
Badoni, who had played only five T20 games in his career before making his IPL debut for Lucknow on Monday, displayed amazing temperament and skills as he took his time to settle down his nerves before launching an all-out attack against the Gujarat Titans bowlers.
Badoni came out to bat at number six when Lucknow were reeling at 29/4 in 4.3 overs. He combined with in-form Deepak Hooda, who slammed a brilliant knock of 55 runs off 41 balls, to add an 87-run stand for the fifth wicket. The youngster looked unfazed despite coming out to bat in a pressure situation on his debut.
Badoni went on to score 54 off 41 balls laced with four fours and three sixes as he took the likes of Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan to the cleaners. Badoni's impressive show on debut left many in awe of the 22-year-old, who had scored just 8 runs in five T20 matches before Monday.
Badoni credited former India opener and Lucknow Super Giants' mentor Gautam Gambhir for backing him a lot and showing his faith in him from the very first game of the season. Badoni revealed Gambhir told him not to bat as per the situation and play his natural game as there were seniors in the side who are there to play as per the match situation.
"Gautam bhaiya backed me a lot. He told me to play just my natural game. He told me you won't get the one-odd match, but you will get a proper run. He also told me, 'you don't need to play according to the situation. There are senior players to do that. You show us your natural game'," Badoni said at the post-match press conference after Lucknow Super Giants' clash against Gujarat Titans.
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Half-centuries from Badoni and Hoods helped Lucknow Super Giants in bouncing back after a top-order collapse as they managed to post a total of 158/6 on the board in 20 overs. However, their efforts went in vain as Gujarat Titans chased down the target with two balls to spare in the thrilling encounter to hand Lucknow their first defeat of the season.
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Nonetheless, it was Badoni, who became an overnight star after his sensational debut. The young batter had been going unsold in the IPL for the last three auctions and was finally glad to get a chance to show his talent in the league.
"I have been in the auction for three years and have gone unsold. I have been to trials for two-three teams but nobody picked me at the auction eventually. So I am grateful to Lucknow for picking me," said the 22-year-old, who is expected to become a regular feature in Lucknow's playing XI this season.