Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya believes that young cricketer Ayush Badoni is destined for big things, but he sells himself ‘too cheap’. Dahiya said that Badoni has the qualities to go far, he just has to expect more from himself. Till recently, Ayush Badoni was captaining the India A team and seemed to be firmly in the race for national selection. He was a regular part of the India A setup until the Sri Lanka tour in August, but was dropped from the home series against Australia and the current tour of New Zealand. This sudden silence must have been difficult for a cricketer knocking on the doors of the senior team to digest. But sometimes such setbacks force players to look inward. After being dropped from India A, Badoni’s bat in the Ranji Trophy has shown glimpses of his potential.
Coach Dahiya’s straight talk
Ayush Badoni Scored 7 and 17 against Services, but brought himself back into the limelight by scoring two consecutive double centuries on difficult pitches against Gujarat and Jharkhand. Vijay Dahiya, who has seen Badoni develop as the coach of Delhi Capitals and during his time with Lucknow Super Giants, believes that Badoni has the potential to go much further. “Badoni is destined for big things, but he sells himself very cheap,” Dahiya told reporters in Palam after the match between Delhi and Services was drawn. He said that there was a direct conversation with Badoni before the season, which probably had an impact.
Advice on spending time at the crease
Dahiya had told the Delhi captain that he does not keep high values for himself. The coach also told that there is a need to pay attention to Badoni’s habit of getting into confrontations with the bowlers. Instead of getting frustrated by a few good balls, they need to show more patience and respect the opponent’s efforts. Dahiya said, ‘Sometimes, when someone bowls two good balls, he gets impressed. He needs to understand that he has to respect the bowler also. The bowler is doing his job.
Dahiya had given a direct message to Badoni to spend more time at the crease. He said, ‘I told him that he needs to spend time in between. You can score runs only when you are in the middle. He further said, ‘He has to deal with the difficult times and say, ‘For the next half an hour, maybe for a session, I will be there. Then I will score runs’.
The pain of being out of India A
Dahiya also pointed to the disappointment of being dropped from the team after captaining India A. He suggested that this setback should serve as inspiration rather than becoming a source of frustration. Dahiya said, ‘When you have captained India A and then you are not even talked about, then it must hurt.’ Badoni’s response has been encouraging and the Delhi coach is happy with his captain’s ability to play big innings on difficult pitches. He added that Badoni is moving in the right direction. Dahiya said, ‘He has scored consecutive centuries and double centuries on two difficult wickets. So he is on the right track.