Ayush Badoni's consecutive double centuries after India A snub force rethink of his domestic-to-international pathway

Ayush Badoni scored an unbeaten 210 off 228 balls for Delhi against Jharkhand on Tuesday, following his 217 against Gujarat last week. The 26-year-old became the 21st Indian to register consecutive first-class double hundreds, joining Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir in that group. He and Sumit Mathur added 334 runs for the sixth wicket before Delhi declared at 515 for five.

Badoni was left out of the recent India A tour to New Zealand, a decision that appears to have sharpened his focus on the longer format. His average of more than 60 in first-class cricket this season has placed him among the leading run-scorers in the Ranji Trophy. Jharkhand reached 131 for four in reply, still trailing by 384 runs at stumps on day two.

The back-to-back double hundreds have revived the conversation around Badoni's red-ball credentials at a time when India are assessing middle-order options ahead of future Test series. Delhi's position at the top of their group gives selectors further opportunity to monitor his progress through the season.