Why did India select Ayush Badoni for IND vs NZ ODI series? India’s coach breaks silence
The batting coach of the Indian cricket team, Shitanshu Kotak, has broken silence on why the national side opted to go for uncapped Ayush Badoni as the injury replace in the ODI series against New Zealand.
Ahead of the second ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand at the Niranjan Sah Stadium in Rajkot, the Indian side called Ayush Badoni as a cover-up for the injured spin all-rounder, Washington Sundar, who has been ruled out for the rest of the series and remains in doubt for the T20I leg, followed by the home T20 World Cup 2026.
Eyebrows were raised on Badoni’s selection ahead of some of the other notable Indian players. However, India's batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, pointed to the Delhi youngster’s consistent performance for India A and in the Indian Premier League, which highlights his ability to contribute both with the bat and ball when needed.
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“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.” Kotak expressed in the pre-match press conference.
Shitanshu Kotak highlights reason for Ayush Badoni’s selection in ODI series
Badoni has overall smashed 693 runs in 22 innings of List-A cricket at an average of 36.47 and a strike rate of 93.27 with the help of five fifties and one century besides contributing 18 wickets. The expectation is to get some overs from him if the situation occurs for the national side.
“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 to have a sixth bowling option, sometimes if it is an all-rounder like Washington then an equally good bowler, sometimes it might be a more of a batter who can bowl.” Kotak addressed.
“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.” India’s batting coach shed light.
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