In the build-up to the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season, Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni had explicitly stated his desire to rack up big scores in the First Class competition. It hasn’t taken long for the 26-year-old to walk the talk.
It was his second double century for Delhi and third in all. It was once Mathur holed out at cow corner off part-timer Manan Hingrajia that Delhi decided to declare. The key for the Delhi duo was to negotiate the first hour of play when Gujarat was armed with the second new ball. Once that was out of the way, Badoni, in particular, batted with utmost ease. The celebration, or lack thereof, appeared to be an extension of his nonchalance, with the all-rounder not even bothering to unstrap his helmet or raise his bat on reaching the milestone of a double century. “When I take wickets, I enjoy that a lot. I celebrate wholeheartedly. When I score hundreds, I am not expressive,” was Badoni’s reasoning at the end of the day’s play.
On day two of Delhi’s second Ranji game, against Gujarat at the Palam ‘B’ ground in Group C, Badoni amassed a career-best 217 off just 246 deliveries. As he was prompt to point out later, he had scored an unbeaten 204 for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy last year. Having resumed on a score of 115, the middle-order stroke-maker, in the company of fellow overnight batter Sumit Mathur, made further merry on Monday as the host went on to compile 648 for six declared. The mammoth total entailed a 167-run partnership between Badoni and Mathur, who fell eight runs shy of a century.
When Gujarat’s Vedant Trivedi and Hingrajia take guard on Tuesday, they will hope to take a cue from the manner in which Badoni and Mathur scored runs all around the ground.