UditVani, New Delhi: Two consecutive sixes by Ayush Badoni in the space of four balls brought an early conclusion to the final day’s play as Delhi successfully chased down Jharkhand’s first-innings total of 382 to claim the first-innings lead in a drawn Group D Ranji Trophy match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.
The first of these sixes, a huge shot off left-arm spinner Manishi over long-off, brought Delhi level with Jharkhand’s first-innings score. Moments later, Badoni struck another six down the ground off the same bowler, not only taking his team past Jharkhand’s total but also bringing up his maiden First-Class double century. His explosive batting earned Delhi three points from the match, while Jharkhand secured one.
With the second six, just half an hour before the scheduled tea break, both teams agreed to shake hands, settling for a draw.
Jharkhand, led by Virat Singh, will feel they missed a golden opportunity, especially after reducing Delhi to 158 for five on Friday. However, Badoni, supported by Sumit Mathur and Shivam Sharma, guided Delhi to 388 for seven declared. Badoni remained unbeaten on 205 from 216 balls, surpassing his previous highest First-Class score of 191 against Hyderabad in 2023.
After dominating the spinners on the third day, Badoni resumed his innings on Saturday with confidence, continuing to attack. Play had started an hour late due to bad light, but once on the field, Badoni unleashed a flurry of big shots. He expertly maneuvered the ball to different parts of the ground, using his feet against the spinners and slog-sweeping to square leg. When a short ball was delivered, Badoni pulled it nonchalantly over deep square leg for another boundary.
With 14 points from five matches, Delhi remains in fourth place in Group D, while Jharkhand, with 8 points, has slipped to seventh. Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu currently occupy the top two spots in the group.
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