4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Nov 10, 2025 08:24 PM IST
Delhi Batsman Ayush Badoni plays a shot on the 3rd day of Ranji match between Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday. (Express Photo | Praveen Khanna)
As Ayush Badoni and Ayush Doseja were in the midst of an effective partnership, as afternoon fell and conditions for batting became perfect at the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds on Monday, Delhi looked like they may have recovered enough to force their opponents into a tricky chase.
After spending two days on the back foot and conceding the first innings lead to Jammu and Kashmir, Badoni and Doseja both brought up quickfire fifties as the home side’s batting was showing the intent to pick up quick runs and create a match out of this. What succeeded was a collapse that seemingly came out of nowhere and left them teetering on the brink of a defeat.
Badoni was sent packing after his 73-ball 72, thanks to a fine running, diving catch from Vivrant Sharma at deep square-leg. Inexplicably, from there, Delhi would lose their last six wickets after adding just 35 more runs, the last five of them all fell during a 25-ball period right after tea. It left the hosts’ with a lead of 178 runs when far more were there for the taking, and J&K raced through the last hour to finish at 55/2 at stumps, leaving them 124 runs away from a first-ever victory over Delhi in the Ranji Trophy.
Unlike in the first innings, where a fine spell of swing bowling from Auqib Nabi precipitated a collapse from the hosts, the second innings wickets largely fell to spin. Among the J&K tweakers, left-armer Vanshaj Sharma would end up being the pick of the bunch, taking six wickets for 68 runs, including four of the last five.
Born and brought up in Jammu, this a familiar setting for Vanshaj, who moved to Delhi when he was eight. He is currently settled in Dwarka, where he has grown up playing cricket at school level alongside some of his competitors here.
The 22-year-old isn’t a first-choice tweaker for his state side, he usually does not play at home where conditions are seamer-friendly. He was the third choice for J&K in this game, who decided to only play two fast bowlers. Playing only his fourth First-Class game, he would notch his best figures, but insisted that the key was to keep things simple when there was not much assistance from the pitch.
“Sometimes, the ball is staying low but otherwise it is coming onto the bat quite nicely. Badoni and Doseja were showing that when they were batting,” Vanshaj told reporters here on Monday. “So we decided to bowl it slow. It is mostly flat but the odd ball is turning, and to find that, I kept bowling it slow. It ended up working well.”
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In essence, Delhi’s batters only had themselves to blame. The J&K batters would prove as much as opener Qamran Iqbal went after the bowling in the 11 overs he faced prior to the close of play, hitting six boundaries which came against both pace and spin.
The hosts’ performance was indicative of recent form, with their squad choices disjointed and performances inconsistent, especially with the ball. They have gone without a win in their three games this season, the last two of them being at home, and the last one seeing them lose the first innings lead to Puducherry too. On Tuesday, they will need a drastic overnight change in conditions, or a dream spell of bowling to turn their season around.
Brief scores: Delhi 211 & 277 all out in 69.1 overs (Ayush Badoni 72, Ayush Doseja 62; Vanshaj Sharma 6/68, Lotra 3/73) vs Jammu and Kashmir 311 & 55/2 (Qamran Iqbal 32 n.o).
Namit Kumar is a Senior Sports Correspondent for The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. He is known for his versatile reporting across several major sports disciplines.
Professional Profile
Specializations: He covers a wide variety of sports including tennis, football, cricket, and motorsports.
Focus: His writing often delves into the finer details and technical analysis of the sports he covers.
Social Media: You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @namitkumar_17.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Namit’s recent work focuses heavily on international cricket series and domestic tournaments, as well as high-profile global tennis events:
International Cricket (India vs South Africa Series):
"Intelligence, skill, and heart: How Arshdeep Singh took out Reeza Hendricks" (Dec 15, 2025) — A detailed analysis of Arshdeep's tactical comeback in the T20I series.
"How India's seamers froze South Africa in chilly Dharamshala" (Dec 14, 2025).
"Why India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill losing form, is the start of a blunt headache" (Dec 12, 2025) — An analytical piece on the statistics and form of India's leadership duo.
"Quinton de Kock dismantles Indian bowling combination with silent savagery" (Dec 11, 2025).
Domestic Cricket (Ranji Trophy):
"Ranji Trophy: J&K conquer Kotla and Delhi for first time" (Nov 11, 2025) — Reporting on the historic first win for Jammu & Kashmir over Delhi in the tournament's history.
"What makes J&K pacer Auqib Nabi special" (Nov 8, 2025) — A profile on the pacer's accuracy and swing.
"Unearthing the next Virat Kohli still a while away but Delhi's young batting talent full of promise" (Oct 24, 2025).
Tennis and Golf:
"Jannik Sinner's winter-time madness: How Italian refined his game to beat Alcaraz" (Nov 17, 2025) — A deep dive into Sinner’s technical improvements following his US Open loss.
"Everyone's come to watch Rory McIlroy but keep an eye out for 'people's champion' Tommy Fleetwood" (Oct 17, 2025).
Football Tactics:
"Why are long throw-ins giving football defenders and lawmakers a headache?" (Nov 2, 2025) — An analytical piece on the evolving strategies surrounding throw-ins in modern football.
Reporting Style
Namit is active in covering the Delhi sports scene, providing detailed match reports for international cricket matches and Ranji Trophy fixtures at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He also provides on-the-ground reporting for happenings in the city, such as his recent coverage of the DP World India Championship golf event. Additionally, he actively writes on tennis, analysing matches and reporting on major events, especially during the Grand Slam tournaments. ... Read More
