Picture Credit: Twitter
Indian uncapped batter Ayush Badoni has been one of the finds of IPL 2022 season so far. From the first match itself, the young Delhi-born batter has hit some crucial knocks for Lucknow. Even in their last match, Badoni came on with five runs required of five balls and hit one six and one four to seal the victory for the Lucknow Super Giants.
As the 22-year-old hit the winning runs but celebrated in a familiar fashion. Badoni recreated former India captain Virat Kohli’s signature celebration where he pointed out his name on the back of the jersey which is followed by a fist pump.
Check out Ayush Badoni’s King Kohli celebration:
Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul also praised his young teammate as he had performed in under-pressure situations. “ He (Badoni) has held his nerve every time he has gone into bat and he's delivered for us under pressure. Great learning for him, important for him to keep working hard and stay humble. Been a complete team effort so far. The way everyone has stepped up has been brilliant”, he said.
Rahul also congratulated his bowlers for grappling back in the game after a poor powerplay performance. “I think we were brilliant (with the ball). In the powerplay, we obviously need to go back and work on. But that's how powerplays go sometimes. We assessed things well after that and bowled better. Obviously, would have loved the bowlers to assess things a bit earlier, but it was nice to see them discuss the lines, lengths and pace to bowl after the powerplay,” KL added.
“That was the honest reason actually (on him saying at the toss that he had no idea why he opted to bowl). Can't make up a reason every time. You don't know what to expect of the pitch. Early on in the competition when the pitches are fresh, teams might want to bowl first. Once the tournament goes on and the pitches grip a bit, teams might want to bat”, KL Rahul concluded with the team winning their third game.