Raj Bawa delivered his best performance with the ball to help India get their hands on the Under-19 World Cup trophy for the fifth time. Raj, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, is the son of former India's star batsman Yuvraj Singh's coach Sukhwinder Singh. Bawa not only created a world record by showing the way to the pavilion to five England batters, but in the run chase he scored a crucial 35-run knock to help Yash Dhull-led side recover from wickets in middle overs. With solid performance in big game, the all-rounder is now being called the future 'Yuvraj Singh' because the way left-handed batter bats. Apart from this, Raj is also a pace bowler which makes him a huge prospect for the future.
Raj creates world record
Bawa made England skipper Tom Prest regret his decision to bat first as he picked up five wickets for 31 runs in 9.1 overs. With a sensational bowling performance, he became the only Indian to take a fifer in the final of an ICC tournament. He also broke the 16-year-old record of Pakistan’s Anwar Ali by registering the best bowling figures in an ICC U-19 World Cup final, Ali took four wickets for 35 runs in the 2006 edition of the tournament.
Impact performances throughout tournament
Raj’s fifer helped India bundle out England for 189 in the final which was chased down in the 48th over. In the tournament, Raj scored 252 runs and took nine wickets in six matches. He also broke Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan’s record with his 162-run knock against Uganda.
Raj's grandfather is an Olympic gold medallist
Raj's grandfather Trilochan Bawa was a member of the Indian hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics, while Raj's father Sukhwinder Singh tried his hand at both cricket and hockey. Not only this, Raj's father is also the childhood coach of former India star batter Yuvraj Singh. After making a splash in domestic cricket in his age group, Raj was selected in the Under-19 World Cup team. Raj considers Yuvraj as his idol.
Like Yuvraj, Raj also wears the jersey number 12. In the year 2000, when Mohammad Kaif-led U-19 team India captured the title, Yuvraj Singh also did wonders with the ball and bat. Yuvraj took 12 wickets after scoring 203 runs and was adjudged the player of the tournament.
