NEW DELHI: Ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak explained the rationale behind Ayush Badoni’s inclusion in the squad following Washington Sundar’s injury. Kotak pointed to the Delhi youngster’s consistent performances for India A and in the Indian Premier League, highlighting his ability to contribute with both bat and ball, particularly his right-arm offbreaks, which make him a near like-for-like replacement for the Tamil Nadu all-rounder.Badoni was drafted into the squad after Sundar was ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against New Zealand. His inclusion, despite the presence of established all-round options such as Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh and Axar Patel, raised eyebrows, especially given that he had not previously been part of the national setup.
Addressing the media, Kotak said, “He has been playing, he has been performing, he has played some India A one-day and he has performed and particularly, obviously it is selectors who pick the team, but for any common man when Washington’s out, you cannot, normally no team would go with only five bowlers, like say for example last game if we had only five bowlers and Washington got injured on fourth, fifth over, then who will bowl those overs, so every team would like have sixth bowling option, sometimes if it is an all-rounder like Washington then a equally good bowler, sometimes it might be a more of a batter who can bowl.“Emphasising the need for flexibility within the XI, he added, “If required, somebody should be able to bowl four, five or three/four overs, whatever is needed. He has scored a couple of 50s for India A and can bowl. He has performed well in the IPL and white-ball cricket, so good luck to him.”Badoni has featured in 27 List A matches, scoring 693 runs at an average of 36.47 and a strike rate exceeding 93, including one century and five half-centuries, with a highest score of 100. With the ball, he has picked up 18 wickets at an average of 29.72 and an economy rate of 4.54, with best figures of 3/29.During South Africa A’s tour of India last year, Badoni struck a half-century — a 66 in the second unofficial ODI — and returned bowling figures of 0/15 in four overs and 0/43 in seven overs across two appearances. He also impressed during Australia A’s tour of India, claiming three wickets in two matches at an average of 16.33 and scoring 21 in his lone innings.In the IPL, Badoni has represented Lucknow Super Giants in 56 matches, batting in 46 innings. The middle-order batter has amassed 963 runs at an average of 26.75 and a strike rate of 138.56, registering six half-centuries, with a top score of 74.Squads:India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Ayush Badoni, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv JurelNew Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay(w), Michael Bracewell(c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok, Jayden Lennox, Nick Kelly, Josh Clarkson, Michael Rae.
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