Batting with Badoni makes my job easier, says Delhi’s Sumit Mathur

Delhi batsman Sumit Mathur scored an unbeaten half-century against Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy. | Photo Credit: R. V. MOORTHY

For left-arm spinners plying their trade in the domestic circuit, the wherewithal to score runs consistently has become a growing necessity. Delhi’s Sumit Mathur ticks that box with conviction.

In 14 First-Class appearances before the start of the Ranji Trophy clash against Jharkhand at the JSCA International Stadium, the 28-year-old’s batting average read a noteworthy 40.25. That number will continue to surge after Mathur contributed an unbeaten 50 to Delhi’s total of 309 for five on Monday. It is worth adding that he had made 92 in the previous game against Gujarat.

Particularly beneficial to Mathur has been the time spent at the crease alongside skipper Ayush Badoni. The duo’s undefeated 128-run stand against Jharkhand follows an alliance of 167 last week. “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.

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If there is a facet where the all-rounder needs to get significantly better, it concerns his wicket-taking potency. The tweaker has only struck 30 times in his First Class career.

“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.”