U19 World Cup win: Kin, Chandigarh rejoice at Raj Angad Bawa, Harnoor Singh's feat

Deepankar Sharda

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Chandigarh, February 6

Years of hard work finally bore fruit for the families of Raj Angad Bawa and Harnoor Singh Pannu as Indian colts lifted the ICC U-19 World Cup title by registering a four-wicket win over England.

The Chandigarh duo not only proved their worth in India’s fifth title win, but also performed exceptionally well to grab the pleasing eyes of the world’s cricket fraternity.

5-wkt haul, record-breaking innings, a new journey starts

Raj, one of the most successful players of the tour, hogged the limelight by emerging the best all-rounder for the Indian squad. He not only remained one of just eight batters to cross 250 runs in the tournament, but also picked nine wickets in the campaign. The most memorable was his five-wicket haul in the final against England.

He was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding performance. In addition, he also registered his name in the history by surpassing Shikhar Dhawan’s record for the highest score by an Indian in the U-19 World Cup. He had posted 164 runs off 108 balls, with 14 boundaries and eight sixes, against Uganda.

While the teenager was spreading his magic on the Caribbean soil, his family in Chandigarh was equally excited. Hailing from a sports background, Bawa is the son of a renowned cricket coach, Sukhwinder Bawa, and grandson of hockey Olympian Tarlochan Bawa, who was a member of the team that won the gold in London in 1948.

Among the most worried was Raj’s 92-year-old grandmother Bhupinder Kaur Bawa, who constantly watched his grandson’s matches. “She is quite happy and emotional as well. His (Raj’s) achievement has taken her back to the fond memory of my father (Tarlochan),” said Sukhwinder, who remained busy attending to phone calls throughout the day.

A few years ago, during a formal conversation with this correspondent, Sukhwinder, a go-to person for cricketers, had predicted Raj’s future. Sukhwinder would usually introduce Raj as one of the future prospects for India. It was Sukhwinder’s confidence in Raj and his abilities. “He really played well. I had planned accordingly. I never want him to be a normal player,” said Sukhwinder.

Asked if he was willing to let Raj go to any other coach now, he laughed: “Suggest a better name. He will take up board assignments and will move ahead as per the plan. There’s no doubt things will be more challenging now. However, he will surely emerge as one of the best all-rounders of the nation. It’s been 19 years, he is training under me… the same will continue.” Despite facing some rough patches, Sukhwinder continued to dedicate his time and energy to kids. “Raj will need more time now. We have already discussed and already planned accordingly. My younger daughter Sehaj Bawa is pursuing chartered accountancy and she is equally excited about Raj’s performance,” said Sukhwinder. In one of the interviews with Chandigarh Tribune, Raj had dedicated his record-breaking innings to Sukhwinder.

“He (Sukhwinder) steered me to where I am right now and it’s all because of him,” Raj had said.

Left-handed stylist opener, another future prospect

Harnoor Singh Pannu, who is deemed as India’s next opener, started his career on an empty piece of land, bought by his father to train Harnoor’s elder brother. He was developing interest as a medium pacer, before his grandfather Rajinder Singh asked him to get serious about batting.

There’s been no looking back since that day. He shifted his base to Chandigarh and started training under his uncle Harjinder Singh Pannu. “He has achieved the first step now. Like every father, I also wanted to see him playing for India. He has been consistent and hopefully will achieve something big in the coming time,” said Harnoor’s father Birinder Singh Pannu.

“He started playing at the age of eight in Jalandhar and thereafter shifted here. Playing in Punjab and Chandigarh gave him the right exposure. He has put in years of hard work in his batting and performed really well for the country,” said Harjinder.

Harnoor had caught the attention after hitting three centuries in the Challenger Trophy. He had scored 72 and 111 in games against Bangladesh U-19 before following it up with 120, 46 and 65 in last year’s U-19 Asia Cup against the UAE, Pakistan and Afghanistan, respectively. He struck a century against Australia in a warm-up game at the Caribbean. In the final match, he scored 21 off 36 balls, with three boundaries.

Expected to join UTCA’s Ranji squad

The duo is now expected to join the Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA), Chandigarh, Ranji squad for the upcoming session. After a disheartening performance in the Plate group last year, the UTCA has been promoted to the Elite group this session. The city team has been placed in Elite B, which includes strong contenders Bengal, Baroda and Hyderabad. The first phase of Ranji Trophy will begin on February 10 and run till March 15, while the second phase will be held from May 30 to June 26 after the IPL.

UTCA president Sanjay Tandon, meanwhile, congratulated both players and announced that the duo will be felicitated upon their arrival in Chandigarh. The duo is also expected to make their debut in the upcoming IPL auction, scheduled for February 12 and 13. Both Raj and Harnoor have been placed under the reserve price of Rs20 lakh each.

Raj grandson of hockey Olympian

While the teenager was spreading his magic on the Caribbean soil, his family in Chandigarh was equally excited. Hailing from a sports background, Bawa is the son of a renowned cricket coach, Sukhwinder Bawa, and grandson of hockey Olympian Tarlochan Bawa, who was a member of the team that won the gold in London in 1948.