Delhi’s dismal batting display continued but the shabby treatment meted out to young Ayush Badoni further blotted the notebook of the former champion on the first day of its Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand at the PCA Stadium here on Friday.
Put in, Delhi folded up for 147. At stumps, Uttarakhand was 98 for four.
For the record, in five completed innings this Ranji season, Delhi’s scores read 148 and 145 against Pondicherry, 205 and 131 against Jammu & Kashmir and now 147.
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Credit to all five Uttarakhand bowlers who shared the spoils. But the talking point of the day was the manner in which Badoni was asked to stay back in the Delhi’s hotel room to accommodate Kshitiz Sharma in the playing XI.
Indications from the dressing room pointed to a man in authority wanting to teach the youngster a lesson. In five innings this year, Badoni has scored 2, 4, 12, 41 and 6. Notwithstanding his poor form, Badoni apparently became a victim of the high-handedness of one of the DDCA officials looking for an opportunity to humiliate the Lucknow Super Giants batter.
As it turned out, Badoni’s replacement Kshitiz was bowled for 8 after he let a ball from Abhay Negi alone. In keeping with the notorious practice in the DDCA of undeserving cricketers making to the Ranji squad at different levels, insiders concede that despite Kzhitiz Sharma’s ordinary credentials, there was pressure on the team management to include him. The batter had scored only 28 and 4 in the opening match against Pondicherry.
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