Ayush Badoni sends selectors a message, follows double ton with century vs Jharkhand

Delhi captain Ayush Badoni followed his 217 against Gujarat with an unbeaten 106 against Jharkhand, underlining his hunger for big red-ball scores after declaring his ambition to make substantial contributions more consistently this season.Ayush Badoni hit an unbeaten hundred on Day 1 vs Jharkhand for Delhi (PTI Photo)New Delhi,Oct 26, 2026 18:00 ISTDelhi captain Ayush Badoni continued his impressive start to the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season, scoring a century on Day 1 against Jharkhand at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Monday.Badoni smashed an unbeaten 106 off 122 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes, to take Delhi to 309 for five at stumps. Coming days after his double hundred against Gujarat, the innings was another statement of intent from a batter keen to make big scores a regular feature of his red-ball game. \Delhi's top order had got starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores. Priyansh Arya, who had struck 199 against Gujarat in the previous round, was dismissed for 39, while his opening partner Sanat Sangwan made 37. Yash Dhull scored 29 at No. 3, and Ayush Doseja made a brisk 21 off 29 balls.Walking in at No. 5, Badoni steadied the innings and then accelerated, adding an unbeaten 128-run partnership with Sumit Mathur, who was batting on 50 at stumps. Delhi had slipped to 181 for five before the pair's stand helped them recover. The century follows Badoni's 217 against Gujarat, when he shared a 234-run partnership with Arya to help Delhi secure a first-innings lead. He had also made an impact with the ball in the season opener against Bengal, taking five wickets for 43 runs before scoring 85 in Delhi's second innings.After the Gujarat match, Badoni spoke about his desire to turn his ability into bigger scores more consistently. "My goal is always to score as many big runs as possible," he said, explaining his approach to red-ball cricket. Screengrab from BCCI.TV The 26-year-old has already shown what he can do in the format, having scored an unbeaten 205 against Jharkhand in November 2024 and an unbeaten 204 for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy in 2025. He followed those knocks with his third first-class double century against Gujarat last week. His latest hundred suggests he is intent on building on that record this season.Badoni averaged 58.31 in first-class cricket before the third-round match, having hit 2216 runs in just 26 matches.Badoni received his maiden senior India call-up in January 2026 and has been a regular in India A squads. But he has made it clear that he is focused on the cricket in front of him rather than looking too far ahead. For Delhi, his latest innings is a timely contribution from their captain as they look to turn promising starts into stronger results in the Ranji Trophy.- Ends