Ayush Badoni, the young Lucknow Super Giants batter, has expressed gratitude towards skipper KL Rahul and coach Justin Langer for their unwavering support during his initial struggles in the ongoing IPL season. Badoni’s impressive performance against the Delhi Capitals, despite the team’s loss, was a testament to the faith placed in him.
Badoni’s unbeaten 55 off 35 balls played a crucial role in resurrecting LSG’s innings, helping them post a competitive 167 for 7. However, the Delhi Capitals chased down the target with ease in 18.1 overs.
“The start of the season was not good, but I was doing well at the nets,” Badoni said. “I am thankful to KL Rahul and Justin Langer for backing me and giving me a chance.”
Badoni’s strategy was to take the game deep and then attack, aiming to score over 150 runs. He acknowledged that the team fell short by about 20 runs.
The 24-year-old batter emphasized the positive impact of his strong bond with Rahul and Langer. “I spoke a lot to KL Rahul, and he backs me every time,” Badoni said. “I also share a good bonding with Justin. I went to Australia last year, and there also, he made me learn a few things and improved my game.”
Badoni credited Delhi Capitals spinner Kuldeep Yadav for his match-winning performance. “Kuldeep was bowling well. He broke our momentum,” he said.
Meanwhile, DC assistant coach Pravin Amre praised Jake Fraser-McGurk’s debut IPL knock, which helped the team chase down the target effortlessly. “It was a tremendous innings by Jack because he was batting very well at the nets,” Amre said. “We have got that he has that X-factor, the ability to strike the sixes.”
Amre also acknowledged Prithvi Shaw’s contribution in providing a solid start. “As an opener, he has got a role to play, winning the powerplay is also critical,” Amre said.
The assistant coach lauded the performance of spinners Kuldeep and Axar Patel, who dominated the crucial middle overs. “We are forgetting Kuldeep’s contribution. He bowled a dream ball to dismiss Nicholas Pooran,” Amre said. “Axar also bowled well in the middle overs, giving away just 25 runs off his 4 overs.”
