Mathur credits Badoni after unbeaten 50 as Delhi reach 309 for five

Sumit Mathur said batting alongside Ayush Badoni makes his job easier after he remained unbeaten on 50 as Delhi reached 309 for five in their Ranji Trophy match against Jharkhand at the JSCA International Stadium on Monday.

For left-arm spinners plying their trade in the domestic circuit, the wherewithal to score runs consistently has become a growing necessity, and Delhi’s Sumit Mathur is an example of that trend. The 28-year-old entered the Jharkhand match with a First Class batting average of 40.25 from 14 appearances before the start of the game. He had scored 92 in Delhi’s previous match against Gujarat, underscoring his recent form with the bat.

Mathur shared an unbeaten 128-run stand with skipper Ayush Badoni against Jharkhand, an association that followed a 167-run partnership the previous week. He credited Badoni for making batting easier when the captain was at the other end. “I enjoy batting with Badoni. He is a stroke-player. I like to take my time. When he is there, things become easy. I would like to thank him a lot. It helps me make runs,” Mathur said.

While his batting has been productive, Mathur acknowledged a clear shortcoming with the ball: he has taken only 30 wickets in his First Class career. He accepted that improvement in his bowling is necessary and identified a need for greater control. “I have to work on my accuracy. I will have to be consistent at one spot to bowl long spells,” he conceded.

“The batters don’t have much patience these days. To give my own example, I played a bad shot today but survived because of a no-ball. If you bowl consistently and build dot balls, the batters do make mistakes. That is something I have to work on as a bowler.”

Mathur’s comments on improving accuracy and building sustained pressure with the ball outline his immediate focus as Delhi compete in the Ranji Trophy.