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Ranji Trophy: Badoni Meant For Bigger Things But Sells Himself Very Cheap, Says Dahiya

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya believes captain Ayush Badoni is destined for bigger things, but feels the batting all-rounder sells himself short by not setting high enough standards. Badoni has been on a mission to bounce back from being dropped by India A by making big runs in the Ranji Trophy. He was a regular in the India A setup and had even led the side, apart from being in the senior team for the ODI series against New Zealand in January as a replacement for injured Washington Sundar. But after a poor IPL 2026 for Lucknow Super Giants, Badoni was left out of the India A series against Sri Lanka, Australia and the ongoing tour of New Zealand. With the first phase of the Ranji Trophy ending, Badoni sits as the second-highest run-scorer with 559 runs in four games coming at an average of 111.8, including hitting 210 not out and 217 against Gujarat and Jharkhand respectively. But Badoni managed only 7 and 17 in the drawn game against Services at Palam, with Delhi taking three points due to taking the first innings lead. Hes meant for bigger things, but he sells himself very cheap. He doesnt set the standard high enough for himself. Thats what I see in him, and Ive seen this in a lot of people who have gone on to achieve big things. Hes got all those traits too. When youre in an environment where your 100 becomes a daddy hundred, you need people to push you, Dahiya told reporters at the conclusion of the game on Thursday. Dahiya, who worked closely with Badoni at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), also felt the batting all-rounder tends to get caught up in battles with bowlers, which in turn leads to him being unsettled when facing good balls. Sometimes, he gets affected when somebody bowls a couple of good deliveries. He needs to understand that he has to give the bowler respect as well. The bowler is doing his job. If somebody challenges you and says, Ill keep you tight, you have to respond. Its almost like a boxer. If somebody punches you once, you punch back twice. Dahiyas advice to Badoni is very simple: stay at the crease longer and see out the tough spells before going after the bowlers. I told him that he needs to spend time in the middle. You can only score runs when youre in the middle. Thats where he needs to bite the bullet and say, For the next half an hour, maybe for a session, Ill stay there. Then Ill score. It should hurt when youve captained India A, and then youre not even being talked about. But on two difficult wickets, he has scored back-to-back hundreds and a double hundred. So hes on the right path, he added. Dahiyas advice to Badoni is very simple: stay at the crease longer and see out the tough spells before going after the bowlers. I told him that he needs to spend time in the middle. You can only score runs when youre in the middle. Thats where he needs to bite the bullet and say, For the next half an hour, maybe for a session, Ill stay there. Then Ill score. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Article Source: IANS