Lucknow Super Giants were batting against Gujarat Titans in their maiden IPL game. A slower ball outside off stump from Hardik Pandya and a 22-year-old batsman Ayush Badoni picks it early and slog-sweeps it over cow corner for a six!

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On the next ball, Hardik Pandya drags his length back and the batter, this time, plays a lap shot for a four. Pandya bowls the third ball outside the off stump and a composed Ayush Badoni just opens the face of the bat to guide it for a four down to the third man boundary.

In just three balls, Ayush Badoni had answered questions like why he was sent ahead of Krunal Pandya or why LSG paid INR 20 lakh for a batter who has not even played List A or first-class cricket and has just eight runs in T20 cricket.

And if any question regarding his ability remained to be answered, a 22-year-old and fearless Ayush Badoni hit Rashid Khan for six on a slog-sweep and a hook for half a dozen to Lockie Ferguson - who bowls with supreme pace - later in his innings.

Badoni's knock of 54 off 41 balls was much more valuable than what stats could tell as the Delhi player had come in to bat when LSG were 29/4 in 4.3 overs. Unfortunately, the innings came in a losing cause as LSG eventually lost the match to Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets.

After impressing in the practice games of Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the team’s IPL debut, Badoni got a chance from LSG head coach Andy Flower in the high-value game on Monday. The LSG selectors showed their trust on him and Ayush Badoni did pay it back with a magical knock.

Ayush Badoni - An Unlucky Player ?

Hailing from Delhi – a state full of enormous cricketing talents -- no wonder Badoni stayed on the sidelines for a period longer than expected. Chances eluded him sometimes because of the extremely competitive environment, while at times it was only his poor luck that was to be blamed.

However, when Badoni got an opportunity at the big stage on Monday night, he made sure he had no excuses to bank on but a sensational performance in reply.

"I didn't have any idea, because my name had been coming up (in the auctions) for three years and I was unsold," the young batter said after his IPL debut.

"So this time when my name cropped up, my heartbeat was fast. I didn't know, I had given trials of two, three teams, it had been happening since two-three years, I was not getting picked.

"I am grateful as Lucknow picked me, and now I need to perform and make my team win, I will try my best."

In the domestic circuit, Badoni got just one opportunity to bat for Delhi in his maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season last year and could manage just 8 runs in it.

Ayush Badoni, who was trained by the late iconic cricket coach Tarak Sinha, had impressed at India Under-19 level, smashing an unbeaten 185 in a youth Test against Sri Lanka in 2018. He also showed his batting prowess at the Asia Cup as he hit 52 off just 28 balls in the final. These all came after the player was spotted by Rahul Dravid.

Jump to 2020, in the selection meeting of Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), former India cricketer Atul Wasan batted for Ayush Badoni and asked the selectors to have a look at the young prodigy but it was Unmukt Chand - another potential talent that bore the brunt of extremely competitive cricket environment in India - who was preferred over him.

"Yes, there has been little struggle for three years, I did not get a chance from Delhi, because of which I enhanced my game, have tried new shots, learnt new shots and that has helped me in T20s," said Badoni.

Change Of Fortunes For Ayush Badoni?

The player was later backed by LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir who ensured him of “sufficient opportunity” to prove himself.

"Gautam Bhaiya has backed me a lot and he just advised me one thing, to play my natural game and play the ball, not the bowler," the young right-handed batsman, who can also bowl off-spin, said.

"So that gave me a lot of confidence. He asked me to play my natural game while saying that the senior players would see the (match) situation, and because of which, I could play freely."

The Effort Of Coach And Father

Ayush Badoni belongs to a middle-class family. His father is a documentary filmmaker and mother a teacher. Hence, it is justifiable that his parents didn’t take his cricket career seriously at the beginning and rather asked the child to focus more on studies. Badoni might not have made it the level he has reached right now, had not there been his childhood coach Balraj Kumar.

Balraj not only spotted the talent of Badoni at a tender age, but also convinced his parents to let him pursue a career in cricket. Before the parents could have been convinced, Balraj had already made a cement pitch for the player on the rooftop of latter’s house in Shalimar Bagh to train the boy. Later when the coach moved to Punjab, it was Badoni’s father who would help his son in practice before he could train under late coach Tarak Sinha.

Years down the line, all the tiny and big efforts have cumulated to make Badoni a player he is today.