Raj Bawa smashed a century as four-time champions India defeated Uganda to top Group B in the U19 World Cup. The victory on Saturday as India’s largest in the tournament’s history.
The Indian youngsters won the match by 326 runs, and opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Raj Bawa were two of the players who contributed to the victory. On Saturday, both Angkrish and Raj Bawa scored centuries.
Bawa’s unbeaten innings was the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in the U19 World Cup. The previous record at the U19 Cricket World Cup was held by current India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 155 runs against Kenya in the 2004 edition of the tournament.
Who is Raj Bawa?
Rajangad Bawa was born in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh on November 12, 2004. Raj’s father’s name is Sukhwinder Singh Bawa, and he is a cricket coach who has worked with many players, including Yuvraj Singh and VRV Singh. His father played for the Haryana junior team. In 1988, he was also a member of the Indian U-19 camp, but he suffered a herniated disc at the age of twenty-two and became a cricket coach.
“My father knew about my cricket. He by some means knew that quick bowling came naturally to me, so he asked me to concentrate on my batting. Initially, I used to train with the bat and later began bowling”, Raj said about his father.
Tarlochan Singh Bawa, Raj Bawa’s late grandfather, was a member of the Indian hockey team that won the 1948 Olympic Games in the United Kingdom. Tarlochan scored twice in the 1948 Olympics, including the game-winning goal in the final against Great Britain, which gave Independent India its first gold medal.
Raj adores Yuvraj Singh and looks up to the former India cricketer. He even wears jersey number 12 in honor of Yuvi, who used to wear the same number for India.
After the match against Uganda, Raj said: “I am very happy. I want to contribute in both forms of the game. I have met Yuvraj Singh who is my idol and have taken autographs.”
