IPL 2022: How Delhi's apathy nearly ruined Ayush Badoni's career

World wakes up to LSG batter who impressed Dravid but was ignored by own state teamNEW DELHI: As Ayush Badoni asserted his presence at the crease and resurrected Lucknow Super Giants' innings by scoring a 41-ball 54 against Gujarat Titans on his IPL debut, the Delhi cricket fraternity sunk in embarrassment. The 22-year-old Badoni has been touted as the next big batting talent from Delhi, after Rishabh Pant, for a long time now. He has decimated bowling attacks in junior cricket since he was 14, made it to India's U-19 team in 2018, played match-winning knocks in the U-19 Asia Cup and then disappeared.

He wasn't eligible to play the U-19 World Cup in February 2020. Here's the interesting bit. Then India U-19 coaches Rahul Dravid and WV Raman had sent messages to Delhi selectors to blood this diminutive middle-order batter straight into the senior state team.

Then Delhi selectors and coach ignored DDCA Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) chairman Atul Wassan, who was told by Dravid to take care of Badoni. The selectors changed but the chances didn't come. Badoni was eventually picked for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in Jan 2021 but got to bat only once in five games, that too at No.

7. He didn't make any of the Delhi teams this season. Ask around and everybody will now pass the blame or casually make comments about 'poor attitude'.

All this happened when Delhi failed to progress beyond the first round of every tournament they played. Badoni went about smacking bowlers for three years at every trial for IPL franchises. The son of a documentary film-maker, Badoni dedicated his knock to late coach Tarak Sinha.