Ayush Badoni replaces Washington Sundar: Fans again troll Gautam Gambhir with “Gambhir Quota”

Uncapped player Ayush Badoni on Monday replaced Washington Sundar in India’s squad of the remaining two ODI’s against New Zealand after the all rounder was ruled due to rib injury. Sundar suffered this injury in the series opener on Sunday.

This 26 year old player is set to replace Washington Sundar, young batter Ayush Badoni earing his maiden call-up to the national side.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Monday that Sundar sustained an injury during the first ODI at Vadodara in BCA stadium in Kotambi. The bowling all rounder complained, a acute discomfort in his left lower rib area while bowling and force to leave the ground in midway. Although he later returned to bat at number 8, scoring 7 runs in India’s 4-wicket win but he seen struggled to run on the field.

Sundar’s absence opens the door for Ayush Badhani, who has been named for the replacement by the selection committee. The right handed-batter who also bowls right arm off spin, will join the squad in Rajkot ahead of second ODI.

Fans troll coach Gautam Gambhir, call Ayush Badoni’s selection a ‘Gambhir quota’ move

However, social media users were not happy with the choice, and some even accused head coach Gautam Gambhir of favouritism. Users were quick to cite Ayush Badoni’s underwhelming numbers in List A cricket so far, as he has scored 693 runs in 22 innings and taken 22 wickets. He has had a disappointing run in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, managing just 16 runs from three innings at an average of 8. However, he did produce notable numbers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 329 runs from 11 innings during the 2025 season.

Gambhir worked with Badoni during his time with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL, and they also hail from the same domestic side in the Ranji Trophy. Some social media users even namedropped Harshit Rana to claim that Gambhir has been biased towards certain players during selections.

Meanwhile,

Ayush Badoni’s coach was elated that he finally received his chance by his earning, he told ANI’s “The practice was announced this morning, and we were practising at CoE in Bengaluru for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Tomorrow we have a quarter-final, but he got a call for the Indian team. We are very, very happy for him because he deserved this call. And he has been performing for the last two years. Especially with the bat, and we say that mostly with the ball as well. He has improved his bowling a lot. So, he will be called an all-rounder going in place of Washington Sundar, who is injured,” he told IANS.

(With IANS inputs)