Who is Ayush Badoni?
That was what the spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and also a vast majority of the ones sitting in front of their television screens were thinking as the 22-year-old batter walked out to bat with his team Lucknow Super Giants struggling at 29/4 vs Gujarat Titans on Monday night in Mumbai.
After skipper K.L Rahul got out for a golden duck off Mohammad Shami, Lucknow lost three more wickets in quick succession, leaving Deepak Hooda as the only recognised batter in the middle.
After the fall of the fourth wicket, experienced hand Krunal Pandya was expected to walk out to bat, instead young debutant Badoni came out in his place. For the discerning fans who checked the stats, they found out that Badoni had played just five matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Delhi, before this game.
But the 22-year-old did not disappoint his team as he started cautiously and then blasted some big shots to score 54 on his debut. He also shared an 87-run partnership with Deepak Hooda (55) that helped Lucknow Super Giants reach 158/6 in their 20 overs.
Though his exploits surprised many, the former India under-19 batsman looked confident about his abilities and did not get bogged down by the occasion.
Initially he gave support to Hooda but slowly gained in confidence, blasting a six and two fours in three deliveries off Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya's fourth over. He reached his half-century in 38 balls, hitting four boundaries and three big sixes.
The young Delhi batter completed his maiden fifty in IPL with a six, reminding many fans of Virendra Sehwag, who too used to reach such milestones by hitting the bowlers out of the ground.
After the match, asked whether he had planned to reach his first half-century in IPL with a maximum, Badoni said he was actually not aware of the approaching milestone.
"I was concentrating on my innings and was not aware of the approaching fifty. I realised it only after reaching the milestone," said Badoni, who was hugged by Krunal Pandya after he completed his fifty.
Asked how he felt on his debut, Badoni said he was very nervous on the previous night and could not sleep.
"I couldn't sleep yesterday night thinking about my debut, but after I hit my first boundary tonight, I realised that I belong here and started getting into my own," Badoni told the official broadcaster in the mid-innings break on Monday.
While Badoni's ability to hit big shots might have come as a surprise to all those watching him on national television for the first time, the Lucknow Super Giants management, especially their mentor Gautam Gambhir, looked very confident as the youngster went about his job.
The 22-year-old Dehradun-born batter, who plays age-group cricket for Delhi, is known for his aggressive batting and tremendous hitting and had once blasted four sixes off four deliveries against Sri Lanka in an U-19 Asia Cup match in 2018. He is coached by senior coach Tarak Sinha and studied at Modern School, Barakhamba Road.
He had scored 187 not out in a league match against Sri Lanka U-19 and in final, blasted an unbeaten 52 off 28 balls to help India win the title. His four sixed off four deliveries came during this knock.
Now with a fifty on his IPL debut, Badoni has served notice to all to keep an eye on his exploits in the next few years. He will be a big gain for Indian cricket from IPL 2022 if he manages to consistently produce such innings.
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