Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has rated Ayush Badoni as the find of this IPL so far. Badoni has impressed with his batting skills while playing his maiden season for Lucknow Super Giants.
The young sensation has walked out to the crease when his team has been in a precarious situation however he has held his nerve to deliver the goods.
The 22-year old has scored 102 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 51 and a whirlwind strike rate of 156.92. The youngster’s scores in the tournament read as 54, 19*, 19, and 10. Badoni made his debut against Gujarat Titans and scored a fine knock of 54 runs off 41 balls to bail his team out of the jail but his efforts had gone in vain.
Subsequently, LSG needed quick runs against Chennai Super Kings in the run-chase and he scored a fine cameo of 9-ball 19. Furthermore, he added the finishing touches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and once again held his nerves against Delhi Capitals.
Five runs were needed off the last four balls against DC and Badoni finished the game in style as he scored a four and a six against experienced Shardul Thakur on Thursday at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.
Thus, Badoni has shown the skills to go a long way in his career and Indian cricket will look to nurture him to get the best out of him.
Jaffer said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo: “The way Ayush Badoni finished it off, facing just a couple of balls with some quality shots… He looks like a real talent, probably the find of this IPL so far.”
Meanwhile, Jaffer reckons LSG ended on the right side of the result after Quinton de Kock scored 20 runs more than Prithvi Shaw. Both of these batters looked in control in their respective knocks whereas the rest of the players struggled to get going with the bat.
“You talk about (DC being) 20 runs short. Prithvi Shaw got 60, Quinton de Kock got 80. Needed that one batter to go as deep as possible. Shaw would probably be disappointed with his dismissal, likewise De Kock. Everyone else who batted on that wicket barring those two, really struggled. Probably the difference was one player that got in got 20 more than the other. That potentially won LSG the game.”
The KL Rahul-led team will next face Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.
