• Source:JND

Ayush Badoni received his maiden India call-up as he was included in India's squad for the remaining two ODI matches against New Zealand. Badoni got his chance, with the selection committee's decision surprising so many after Washington Sundar was ruled out of the series due to an injury he suffered in the opening game on Sunday.

Badoni, who burst onto the scene through the IPL cricket, has the experience of leading Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. The right-handed batter is highly regarded in Delhi's cricketing circles, and officials within the DDCA also vouch for the youngster. The right-handed attacking batter was recently playing for his domestic team in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.

His record in List-A cricket clearly displays his incredible talent and potential, but his recent form cannot be considered the only reason behind his inclusion in the Indian team out of nowhere. Badoni has played 27 List-A matches for Delhi, scoring 693 runs with one century and five fifties at an average of 36.47. He also has 18 wickets to his name in the format.

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Ayush Badoni's recent record

In the Delhi Premier League last season, Badoni played a total of seven matches for South Delhi Superstarz and managed to score just 113 runs at a disappointing average of 16.14 and a strike rate of 141.25. In the VHT this season, he has turned up for Delhi with the scores of 1, 12 and 3 so far.

The 26-year-old managed to contribute 206 runs for Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at an average of 30. In the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, Badoni scored 218 runs in three matches, with his highest score being 72. Hence, it’s evident that selectors did not choose Badoni on his batting alone. While playing for India A last year, the right-handed batter produced the promising efforts of 66 against South Africa A and 21 and 50 against Australia A.

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Gambhir's Role and Fans reactions

The say of current India head coach Gautam Gambhir was also a main reason behind Ayush Badoni's selection. Gambhir worked closely with Badoni during his time as mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants during the IPL 2022 and 2023. Back in 2022, Badoni had spoken highly about Gambhir after scoring a fifty on debut for LSG while playing against the Gujarat Titans.

"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," Badoni said in the post-match presentation.

Talking about Gambhir, the former India opener has a reputation to give a full backing to the players if he has full faith in any individual. Harshit Rana is the case in point. Before Harshit made it to India's playing XI in all three formats, Gambhir had worked closely with the Delhi pacer at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, and now the Badoni situation seems nothing different.

While Badoni fits the bill perfectly with his all-round abilities and versatility, the youngster's selection seemed understandable with Gambhir's fascination with similar qualities. However, fans and some experts were not happy with the decision to bring in Ayush Badoni and slammed Gambhir for continuing with his favouritism calls in the selection.

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