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India cricketer Ayush Badonibelieves that his transition to being an all-rounder instead of a specialist batter is one of the key factors behind his recent national call-up. Badoni was named as Washington Sundar's replacement for the second and third ODIs of the series against New Zealand.

The 26-year-old disclosed that he had increased emphasis on bowling since the last two years, and even bowled a lot of off-spin for the Delhi side while contributing with wickets to his name. 

"Earlier, I used to only bat, but since the last two years, I have been focusing a lot on my bowling. I always feel like I can take wickets, and contribute to the team with my bowling, so I got the benefit of being an all-rounder. I have bowled a lot for Delhi and got wickets, so I have benefitted from it," shared Badoni in an interaction on BCCI.tv.

The young all-rounder shared that he could not himself let his family and friends know of his selection in the India squad. He also spoke on the overall team environment and his aim of being a constant learner while spending time with the experienced members of the team. 

"I actually got the call late at night, so I could not tell them. It was then announced in the morning, and that is when they got to know. They were also very happy and proud. A lot of the senior players in the team are legends, so I try to learn from them when they bat or bowl, I think that enhances my game. There are a lot of players with whom I have fun with, I've known Harshit [Rana] for a while. There are Arshdeep [Singh] and Shreyas [Iyer] also, I have a lot of fun with them," the Delhi cricketer added.

Badoni was an active part of Delhi's XI in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali and 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was also named the skipper of the side of late. The talented cricketer has played for India Under-19 and India A to finally earn his call-up to the international arena.

Nitish Kumar Reddy was named in the XI for the second ODI which India eventually won in Rajkot. It remains to be seen whether Badoni will get a chance to feature for the Men in Blue or not. The series decider is scheduled to be held in Indore on January 18 at the famous Holkar Cricket Stadium.