Prolific LSG finisher was once ignored by the Delhi Capitals scouts. His fist-pump after sealing the match over DC on Thursday showed what the win meant for him.
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India’s problem to find a proper white-ball finisher started as early as 2019. Former India captain MS Dhoni looked out of sorts in his role at the 2019 World Cup. His ability to strike the ball out of the park looked questionable as he was not even timing the ball to perfection. There were obvious questions around his strike rate and ability to continue finishing matches for India, with the position still to be taken up, with the T20 World Cup in October clouding over.
In his absence, and with all-rounder Hardik Pandya out of the fray, the Indian cricket board relied on talents like Venkatesh Iyer and Deepak Hooda to take up the role. But none of them were as consistent as the benchmark laid by Dhoni in his efforts.
However, young Lucknow Super Giants batter Ayush Badoni, might well turn out to be the answer to India’s white-ball finisher. At least, after, he has proved to be a handful after his first four games for the LSG and the world has taken notice of it.
READ MORE: IPL 2022 LSG vs DC: de Kock fires Lucknow Super Giants to convincing victory
Badoni has turned out to be a 360-degree player for LSG, looking fit enough to don the Indian jersey, in white-ball cricket. At a young age of 22, he played the responsible knock of 54, an unbeaten 19, 19 and 10 not out in the IPL 2022, to not only showcase his finishing abilities but his maturity.
“Badoni, I’d seen a few videos, when you only get to see the good shots, but the way he’s been batting is phenomenal.
“Strong, 360-degree player, a great find for India and an asset for white-ball cricket,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation in Mumbai.
It is quite clear that the LSG management, led by mentor Gautam Gambhir, has backed Badoni as the finisher for their franchise. However, in their IPL 2022 against Delhi Capitals on Thursday, while the team were cruising at 122/3 after losing Quinton de Kock; Badoni could have been promoted up the order to test his skills to adapt to the situation.
But the franchise went with Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda, ahead of him, who seemingly found it difficult to time the ball before the youngster stepped in to make the batting look easy on the same track and smashed one four and a six to help his side sail over the line with ease.
Badoni has a number of stories of being ignored. He could have made his debut in the IPL at the age of 20, as he placed his name thrice in the auction, but his talent was overseen by all the franchises.
He was also overlooked by Delhi Capitals scouts after being asked to clear three rounds of trials. The youngster, incidentally, scored a half-century in less than 20 deliveries in each of these trials but failed to find a place in the final squad.
However, on Thursday, Badoni fist-pumped after his winning shot against the franchise which once ignored him and showed what the win meant to him.
