India batting coach reveals why Ayush Badoni was picked as Washington Sundar’s replacement

Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak defends Ayush Badoni's call-up over Axar/Shahbaz: IPL form, India A success, off-spin control as Sundar replacement despite Vijay Hazare struggles; maiden squad links to Gambhir's LSG mentorship.

14 Jan 2026 14:54 IST

New Update

Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has revealed the reason behind including the Delhi young all-rounder Ayush Badoni in the Indian ODI squad for the ongoing three-match series against New Zealand, replacing injured Washington Sundar.

Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the second ODI in Rajkot, Kotak has stated that Badoni has performed well for India A in whatever opportunities he has received, adding that he has a decent IPL record too.

"He has been playing, he has been performing, he has played some India A one-day matches, and he has performed. Of course, it is the selectors who pick the team, but for any common man, when Washington is out, you cannot normally go with only five bowlers,” Sitanshu Kotak said in the pre-match press conference.

“For example, in the last game, if we had only five bowlers and Washington got injured in the fourth or fifth over, then who would have bowled those overs? So every team would like to have a sixth bowling option. Sometimes, if it is an all-rounder like Washington, then it's an equally good bowler; sometimes it might be more of a batter who can bowl,” he reasoned.

"If required, somebody should be able to bowl four or five overs, or even three or four overs, whatever is needed. He has scored a couple of fifties for India A and can bowl. He has performed well in the IPL and white-ball cricket, so good luck to him," he added.

Speaking about Badoni’s domestic career, he has racked up 693 runs at an average of 36.97 in 27 matches with the willow in List A cricket. Furthermore, he has taken 18 wickets with the ball in hand.

Delving into the details of his IPL career, as a middle-order batter, he has accumulated 963 runs at an average of 26.75, with a strike rate of 138.56, including six half-centuries and the highest score of 74.

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