Skipper Badoni leads the way for Delhi with counterattacking hundred

Skipper Badoni leads the way for Delhi with counterattacking hundred

If Ayush Badoni was hoping to make a statement in his first game as captain, a counterattacking century was perhaps the ideal way to begin for the aggressive middle-order batter. At stumps on day three of Delhi’s Group-D Ranji Trophy clash against Jharkhand at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Badoni managed exactly that, remaining unbeaten on 116 off 142 deliveries to help his team reach 238 for five. He still has his work cut out when play resumes on Saturday, for the host is 144 runs behind Jharkhand’s first-innings total of 382 with five wickets in hand.

After Simarjeet Singh got Kumar Kushagra caught at long leg on 156 to wrap the visitor’s innings on Friday morning, Delhi needed a substantial response from its batting line-up. Barring Badoni on this occasion, the rest of the top six disappointed.

It did seem like Anuj Rawat was onto something at the top of the order when he rode his luck and curtailed his attacking instinct to get to his maiden half-century this season. Despite getting his eye in, though, Rawat was done in leg-before by Utkarsh Singh’s off-spin. That Himmat Singh was caught behind in the very next over for his third duck of the season meant Delhi was on the precipice of a calamity at 98 for four. Badoni, who moved up to No. 4, salvaged the situation to a certain extent with his positive approach.

The 24-year-old was particularly proactive against the spinners. He got to his fifty, for instance, by stepping out and hitting left-arm spinner Manishi over mid-on for six. When he sensed an opportunity to be cheeky, he moved across his stumps and lapped Anukul Roy through fine leg for four. The pick of the lot was an inside-out drive through cover against Anukul that comfortably cleared the boundary for a maximum.

Badoni’s confidence that he can wipe the deficit also stems from the 80-run unbroken partnership that he stitched with Sumit Mathur for the sixth wicket in the final session.

The scores:

Jharkhand — 1st innings: Md Nazim c Himmat b Grewal 6, Sharandeep Singh c Rawat b Simarjeet 64, Aryaman Sen b Simarjeet 5, Utkarsh Singh c Dhull b Siddhant 46, Virat Singh c Rawat b Grewal 56, Kumar Kushagra c (sub) b Simarjeet 156, Anukul Roy c Mathur b Gusain 0, Supriyo Chakraborty b Mathur 16, Manishi c Siddhant b Mathur 14, Vikas Kumar c (sub) b Badoni 0, Shubham Kumar Singh (not out) 2; Extras (b-8, lb-2, w-4, nb-1): 15; Total (in 130.4 overs): 382.