Raj Angad Bawa was solely 5 when he misplaced his grandfather, Tarlochan Bawa, a member of the Indian Hockey group that gained the 1948 Olympic Games within the United Kingdom.
Raj Angad, 19, has the faintest reminiscence of his late grandfather – the night stroll of their yard in Chandigarh.
“I don’t have many fond memories of my grandfather because I was a kid when he died. But I have heard his stories from my grandmother and my father, which will stay with me forever,” Raj Angad Bawa instructed The Indian Express from Tarouba in Trinidad and Tobago, earlier than their last group B match in opposition to Uganda on the ongoing ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup.
Tarlochan scored two objectives within the 1948 Olympics; one within the 4-0 win over Great Britain within the last, incomes Independent India its first gold medal.
“Whenever I see that gold medal, it gives me goosebumps, I can only imagine how important achievement it must have been, back then,” stated Raj.
Even although Raj has only a few reminiscences of his grandfather, he has seen his father Sukhwinder Bawa hone the talents of a number of cricketers, together with the likes of former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and pacer VRV Singh.
Raj Angad Bawa (in centre) along with his grandfather Tarlochan Bawa (left) and father Sukhwinder Bawa. Tarlochan Bawa was member of 1948 Hockey group, whereas Raj’s father coached Yuvraj Singh. (Special association)
“I’m proud to be a Bawa. Playing a component in carrying such a wealthy legacy ahead is an honour, however on the similar time, I at all times knew I’ve large sneakers to fill. I simply hope I might do justice to my household title.’
Raj, a fast-bowling all-rounder, has not put a foot flawed on the U-19 World Cup. He bagged a four-wicket haul in opposition to South Africa within the first match and adopted it with a artful 42 in opposition to Ireland. Raj saved his finest in opposition to Uganda, smashing a 108-ball 162, together with 14 fours and eight sixes. During that innings, he turned the very best particular person scorer in a single innings for India, surpassing Shikhar Dhawan’s 155 in opposition to Scotland in Dhaka on the 2004 U-19 World Cup.
Interestingly, Raj bowls along with his proper arm however is a southpaw batter. He switched his batting stance after watching Yuvraj Singh from shut corners.
“I used to watch Yuvraj practise at my father’s coaching centre. When I first picked up the bat maybe I was trying to imitate him, and it stuck with me,” stated Raj, who idolises Yuvraj Singh, and dons the identical jersey quantity 12.
Raj Angad with Yuvraj Singh and father Sukhwinder Singh.. (Special association)
“I picked up No 12 because of several reasons. My late grandfather’s birthday is on February 12. My idol Yuvraj also used to wear jersey No 12, as his birthday is on December 12. I celebrate my birthday on November 12,” stated Raj.
Growing up, theatre and dance took priority over cricket.
“He was never into the cricket. I had given up all the hopes. I thought, he will become an actor,” recollects father Sukhwinder.
Raj’s love affair with cricket began when he first visited the Dharamshala stadium along with his father.
“I was a coach, and we were playing some local tournaments. After our practice at the Dharamshala Stadium, he came to me and said, ‘Dad, I want to become a cricketer.’ That was the happiest day of my life,” recollects Sukhwinder.
Sukhwinder performed hockey for Haryana junior group and was even chosen for India U-19 camp in 1988. His dream of taking part in cricket ended as a consequence of a slipped disc harm, and on the age of twenty-two, he turned a coach.
“I was posted at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurugram when I first saw Raj bowling pace. He must be 11. What impressed me was that he bagged five wickets in the first match, bowling with the leather ball. I was thrilled,” stated the 54-year-old.
“For a year, I worked on his landing feet. His action was a bit injury prone, and once it was fixed, I told him ‘listen, it’s time your bowling takes a back seat, and you focus on your batting’”.
Raj, who calls himself a real all-rounder, credit his father for his growth.
“My father knew about my cricket. He by some means knew that quick bowling got here naturally to me, so he wished to deal with my batting. Initially, I used to be centered solely on batting and began bowling off-spin.
“I started bowling fast again in the Punjab U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy camp. I never told him that I’d started bowling fast again, but I eventually got caught,” he stated.
Sukhwinder feels his son can change into all-rounder, however he should stay disciplined.
“I was a student of DP Azad, his mantra of coaching used to be discipline and punctuality. Azad sir used to hate if someone would turn up late during the training session. I have picked up these things from Azad sir and had instilled his valuable lessons into Raj’s cricket. Hopefully, he will remain focused and will represent the senior national team for a long time,” he stated.
