U19 WC 2022: Final, Review – Raj Bawa’s all-round show helps India win the trophy
Team India defeated England in a closely fought final by four wickets to win the ICC U19 World Cup for the record fifth time. Raj Bawa was the hero for India with his all-round skills coming to the fore when it mattered the most. He was also named the Player of the Match for his excellent performance with both bat and ball.
Earlier, England skipper Tom Prest opted to bat first after winning the toss. But the 1998 Champions couldn’t get off to a great start with the in-form batter Jacob Bethell getting out early. Ravi Kumar was the wrecker in chief on the day as he nipped out wickets at regular intervals with the new ball.
Raj Bawa soon got into the action and didn’t let England batters settle to leave them reeling at 91/7. This is when James Rew stood tall and counterattacked superbly. He scored a fine 95 off just 116 deliveries with 12 fours and made sure that England reached closer to 200. Apart from him, no other batter could hang around in the middle. They were bundled out for 189 runs in the 45th over with Bawa completing a stunning five-wicket haul.
The chase didn’t get off to an ideal start for India with their in-form opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi getting out for a duck. Harnoor Singh did well to weather the early storm then while Shaik Rasheed smashed a half-century yet again. But at 97/4 with Yash Dhull also back, India were in trouble at one stage.
However, Nishant Sindhu and Raj Bawa batted well to stitch a valuable 67-run stand for the fifth wicket stand to keep India ahead in the chase. Though the latter got out for 35 runs, India didn’t deter and Sindhu kept his cool to slam an unbeaten 50. Dinesh Bana then finished off the game with two back to back sixes as celebrations unfolded in the Indian camp.
Top Performers
Raj Bawa – India’s senior team is in search of a pace-bowling all-rounder and Raj Bawa has emerged as one from the U19 side. His accurate pace bowling earned him five wickets in a crucial final and then with things hanging in balance at 97/4, he mustered 35 runs to help the side chase down the tricky total of 190 runs. He deservedly won the Player of the Match award as well.
Ravi Kumar – The left-arm pacer has been one of the finds as well much like Raj Bawa. His decent pace coupled with swing made Ravi Kumar almost unplayable in the final. He got India crucial early breakthroughs and didn’t let England get off to a start early on He ended with the figures of 4/34 in his nine overs.
