As he relishes praise from all corners following his magnificent five-fer to help India win the ICC U-19 World Cup final, it begs belief that pacer Raj Bawa was once not even allowed to touch the ball for five long years by his father and coach Sukhwinder Bawa. With his son under the spotlight for […]
As he relishes praise from all corners following his magnificent five-fer to help India win the ICC U-19 World Cup final, it begs belief that pacer Raj Bawa was once not even allowed to touch the ball for five long years by his father and coach Sukhwinder Bawa.
With his son under the spotlight for his great feat against England in Antigua on Saturday (February 5), Sukhwinder revealed an interesting anecdote about him during an interview with the Indian Express.
Sukhwinder, who always held dreams of junior Bawa becoming an allrounder of repute and stature like his childhood hero Kapil Dev, noticed the spark for fast-bowling in his son very early. But made it a point to ensure he focused on his batting, to the extent that he didn’t allow him to bowl for a five-year stretch.
“Fast bowling to uske DNA mey hai (Fast bowling is in his DNA). He picked up a five-wicket haul in an U-12 match in Gurgaon. That was the moment I told him you should focus on your batting more,” said Sukhwinder on his son Raj Bawa in the interview.
Wary that if his son singlemindedly focused on bowling, he may end up being a tailender was the main reason behind Sukhwinder’s strict but foresighted decision.
“I wanted him to become a proper batter, not some fast bowler who can’t even face 10 balls. I worked on his batting and never allowed him to bowl pace for almost five years,” he said.
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Raj Bawa ended as the Player of the Match for his performance in the U-19 World Cup final. (pic courtesy: Twitter/CWI)
How? It happened through his stint at the Vijay Merchant U-16 trophy for Punjab. At the sidelines of the competition, despite Sukhwinder’s strict instruction, Raj Bawa would bowl his heart out at the nets for long hours and develop his fast-bowling skills. The youngster requested everyone around to keep this a secret. But Sukhwinder was aware of what his son was upto.
“I knew it the first day he started bowling again. Baap hun uska (I am his father). I didn’t say a word because he was scoring runs,” says the man, who once coached Yuvraj Singh to U-19 glory.
When Yuvraj won the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in 2000, Sukhwinder was the toast of every cricket journalist. Two decades from then, his phone is buzzing with congratulatory messages as his son gives him a proud Deja Vu.
“I have seen it before. Back then, it was an adrenaline rush. Abhi aisa lag raha ki yaar ye sab dekh chuka hun (Now I feel like I have seen all these things before). Yes, I am a bit emotional because Raj is my son,” he said.
Apart from his nine wickets, Raj Bawa made 252 runs, including a blistering 162* against Uganda, in the tournament. His allround exploits have made Sukhwinder believe his son is on the right path in both skills, exactly how he wanted.
“Raj was with me 24×7. He used to accompany me everywhere. We’ve always talked cricket, and I used to tell him stories about Kapil paaji. I think he sensed at a very young age what I was looking for.
“When I saw his bowling, I knew he was a natural pacer. So I concentrated all my efforts on his batting. I am glad it has worked. He is a complete all-rounder, not even a 60-40,” he concluded.
