"It was obvious to all but the very daft that S Badrinath was the answer to India's middle-order prayers," writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian. He feels Badrinath, who made a match-winning 27 not out on his ODI debut, has what it takes to succeed at the Test level.
Mahela Jayawardene had the scent of the kill in his nostrils, and Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan were soon wheeling away in tandem. Badrinath, who was Murali's team-mate in the IPL, played them with the poise of one who had been doing it for years. He worked Murali through the leg side with a wristy flourish and cut him impossibly late on a couple of occasions. Mendis's variations were met with the straightest of bats. Unlike some of his more illustrious compatriots, he didn't get sucked into pad play, and his solidity at one end allowed Mahendra Singh Dhoni to whittle away at the target from the other.
Even after Dhoni departed with victory in sight, Badrinath stayed around to make absolutely sure, clinching the game with a neat drive to extra-cover. As with Clarke, his technique had been impressive. His temperament and focus were even more eye-catching, and it'll be a brave selector who tries to pitchfork a callow youth into the Test team at the expense of one whose game appears far more complete.
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