Washington Sundar’s injury has presented the ultimate opportunity for Delhi batter Ayush Badoni. The 26-year-old was named as Sundar’s replacement on Monday after the all-rounder faced a setback in the first ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand in Vadodara. While bowling, Sundar experienced discomfort in his left lower rib area, which turned out to be more serious than initially appeared. Sundar will undergo scans, and the future course of action will be decided later, once the reports are received.
With Sundar going out, India needed a replacement to be named, and the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee opted to go with Badoni, who 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, who has a knack for shifting gears and adopting an attacking approach whenever the situation demands it.
A cursory glance at Badoni’s record in List-A cricket states that he has flattered to deceive in the format, and his recent form cannot be the sole reason behind his maiden call-up into the Indian squad. 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.
In the seven matches of the 2025 season of the Delhi Premier League, Badoni, who plays for South Delhi Superstarz, scored 113 runs at a sub-par average of 16.14 and a strike-rate of 141.25. Badoni’s recent scores in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi are 1, 12, and 3*, which weren’t encouraging. Even prior to the tournament, he managed 206 runs in seven matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at an average of less than 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.
However, it is worth noting that Badoni managed to have respectable outings for India A last year. He registered a score of 66 against South Africa A while he also returned with scores of 21 and 50 against Australia A.
Gambhir’s role
One major reason behind Badoni earning the call-up is Gautam Gambhir. The India head coach worked closely with Badoni during the 2022 and 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons, mentoring the Lucknow Super Giants. 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,” he had told reporters during the post-match press conference.
The one thing you surely know about Gambhir is that if Gambhir has faith in a player, he would go out of his way to back the players he truly believes in. Harshit Rana is the case in point. Before introducing the pacer into the playing XI, the former India opening batter had worked closely with Harshit at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, and now the Badoni situation bears a similarity.
Gambhir has seen Badoni up close and personal, both at Delhi and LSG. With Sundar’s injury requiring a like-for-like replacement, Badoni fits the bill perfectly, as he can bowl spin in the middle and tie one end up. With Gambhir’s fascination with all-round and utility players in the squad, Badoni checks all.
