IPL 2022: LSG's Ayush Badoni praises Gautam Gambhir for backing him throughout

Ayush Badoni of Lucknow Super Giants during the 4th T20 cricket match of the Indian Premier League 2022 (IPL season 15), between the Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai. Pic/PTI

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) young batter Ayush Badoni, who smashed a quick-fire 54 against Gujarat Titans on Monday, praised his team mentor Gautam Gambir for backing him in his initial days. Fighting knocks from Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni guided Lucknow Super Giants to 158/6 in their assigned 20 overs before their fellow IPL debutants Gujarat Titans chased the target with two balls to spare.

"Gautam bhaiya backed me a lot. He told me to play just my natural game. He told me you won't get the one-odd match, but you will get a proper run. He also told me, 'you don't need to play according to the situation. There are senior players to do that. You show us your natural game'," said Badoni in a post-match press conference. After getting unsold for three consecutive years, Badoni was picked by LSG during the IPL 2022, mega auctions.

"I have been in the auction for three years and have gone unsold. I have been to trials for two-three teams but nobody picked me up at the auction eventually. So I am grateful to Lucknow for picking me," said Badoni. "The last three years have been a bit of a struggle. I didn't get much of a chance with Delhi either. I played only one season and got to bat only once. For that I have enhanced my game, I have added more shots, which has helped me a lot," he added.

In the clash against Gujarat, Badoni was sent to bat, ahead of Krunal Pandya and he proved his worth by playing an extraordinary innings. "In the practice matches for Lucknow, I scored fifties in both the games. Gautam bhaiya liked that, and the other coaches were impressed too. So they believed I could bat ahead of Krunal," said the batter.

Lucknow who were at a spot of bother with 29/4 at one time were powered up by Deepak Hooda (55) and youngster Ayush Badoni who scored 54 on his debut. Mohammad Shami was a man on fire for Gujarat Titans as it was his sensational opening spell that yielded three wickets and left LSG in tatters. Rahul Tewatia 40', Matthew Wade 30, Hardik Pandya 33, and David Miller 30 played inspiring knocks for Gujarat as they chased the target of 159 with two balls to spare in the battle of debutants against Lucknow.

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