India U-19 team were badly hit by the Coronavirus during the ICC U-19 World Cup after the team had five of their cricketers ruled out due to Covid-19 but nothing seemed to deter them as they registered a mammoth total of 405 runs against Uganda in the final match of the group stage. The Indian team eventually defeated their opponents by 326 runs and finished the group stage at top spot.
Indian opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi smashed 144 runs off 120 balls and Raj Bawa played an unbeaten innings of 162 runs off 108 balls.
Bawa's superb form
Bawa comes from Punjab and he is the son of former Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh's childhood coach Sukhwinder Singh Bawa. After showing his superb skills in domestic cricket in his age group, Raj was selected in the Under-19 World Cup team and his terrific show in the World Cup, before the mega IPL auction, can surely help him making an entry in the world's biggest league.
After the dismissal of Raghuvanshi, Bawa led the charge and carried forward his splendid batting show. He first completed his century off just 69 balls and then he also went on to reach 150-run mark off 102 balls with a six. Bawa’s innings was comprised of boundaries and 8 sixes.
New record
The left-handed batsman also broke the 17-year-old record of Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan. Bawa became India's highest-scorer in the Under-19 World Cup. Before Bawa’s innings, this record was in the name of Dhawan after he played an innings of 155 runs against Scotland back in 2004.
India eventually scored a total of 405 runs losing only 5 wickets in 50 overs.
But the Indian bowlers were nothing less than the batsmen as the Indian bowling unit needed just 20 overs to bundle out their opponents. Uganda managed to score just 79 in front of the lethal Indian bowling attack.
India’s left-arm bowler Nishant Sindhu was the best bowler for his side after he scalped four wickets in the match, conceding just 19 runs.
Apart from Uganda skipper Pascal Murungi (34 off 45 balls) and Ronald Opio (11 runs off 22 balls) not a single batsman managed to reach the double digit-mark.
