'40 balls daily daalne hain': The grind behind Ayush Badoni's maiden call-up

NEW DELHI: Ayush Badoni had just wrapped up his practice session on Monday and was heading back to the hotel when a message popped up on his phone. It was the moment he had been waiting for — his maiden India call-up.

Keeping his composure, Badoni first showed the message to his Delhi coach and former India cricketer Sarandeep Singh before embracing him in an emotional hug.Badoni was named as a replacement for Washington Sundar in India’s squad for the remaining two ODIs against New Zealand after the all-rounder was ruled out with a rib injury. Washington sustained the injury during the series opener in Vadodara on Sunday.

“He was really happy, and I was very happy for him. He truly deserved it.

He has worked extremely hard. Most people know him as a batter who can clear the ropes, hit boundaries at will and play long innings. Ask anyone and he’ll be tagged as a proper batter. But he is also an excellent off-spinner, and he has evolved into one purely through hard work,” Sarandeep told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“I told him last year that while he is a very good batter, he must bowl at least seven overs after every batting session before going home.

He accepted that challenge without any hesitation. Even after long batting sessions, he would pick up the ball and bowl seven overs, sometimes even more. He has put in a lot of work on his off-spin,” the Delhi head coach added.Badoni, who has an impressive first-class batting average of 57.96, averages 36.47 from 27 matches in List A format.Badoni has also shown leadership qualities, having captained Delhi in the past and serving as Rishabh Pant’s deputy during the team’s latest Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign.“I told him that if he wants to become a good all-rounder, focusing on his spin bowling will make a strong case for him as someone who can fit into the Indian team. His off-spin is really good now. It turns sharply, and he has added a couple of variations to his bowling. He bowls the carrom ball and the arm ball as well. He is a very smart cricketer,” Sarandeep said.“He has also been fortunate to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

He, Priyansh Arya and several other young cricketers have learned a lot from a legend like him. That phase played a big role in helping Ayush improve his game,” he added.India’s updated squad for 2nd and 3rd ODIs:Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ayush Badoni

WHO IS AYUSH BADONI?

Born in 1999 in Delhi, 26-year-old Ayush Badoni has been a consistent performer for the Delhi team. He was picked in the IPL 2022 mega auction by Lucknow Super Giants for a base price of Rs 20 lakh. Under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, Badoni elevated his game, with Gambhir even sending him to bat at No.

6 in the batting order.Following his impressive performances for LSG, the franchise retained him for Rs 4 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Since then, Badoni has remained a key part of the Lucknow Super Giants squad.Overall, he has played 56 IPL matches so far, scoring 963 runs at a strike rate of 138.56. He has also contributed with the ball, taking four wickets.Apart from IPL, Badoni has made significant contributions in the Delhi Premier League (DPL), where he captained South Delhi Superstarz and showcased his all-round abilities.AYUSH BADONI - CAREER STATSBatting and fielding:

Bowling: