India in their first ODI against New Zealand which was held on January 11 in Vadodara saw Washington Sundar leave the field injured while bowling.
The team’s management named 26 year old Ayush Badoni to take Sundar’s place for the last two ODIs which is Badoni’s first call up to the national team.
But that call has gone down very poorly on social media with reports of favoritism against Head Coach Gautam Gambhir. Fans put forward that Badoni didn’t deserve the spot with his average recent performance in List A.
Badoni has scored 693 runs in 27 List A matches at an average of 36.47, but in his last five List A games, he batted only three times and managed just 16 runs. His performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was also below average, adding to the controversy.
Several social media users accused Gambhir of backing Badoni due to personal preference, while some linked the selection to their past association with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The debate has reignited discussions around fair selection and merit-based opportunities in Indian cricket.
