Went out to execute plans we discussed: Raj Bawa after winning U19 WC
Feb 06, 2022
St John's [Antigua], February 6 : All-rounder Raj Bawa expressed happiness and said that the feeling of lifting the Under 19 World Cup title is really 'special'.
India lifted a record fifth U19 World Cup title after defeating England in the summit clash here at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium on Saturday. The Yash Dhull-led side defeated the Three Lions in the summit clash by four wickets. Earlier, India had won the U19 World Cup in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2018.
"Always feels special to win any game, but to do it in the final is a great feeling. Just went out to execute the plans we discussed with the coach and captain," said Raj Bawa after the game.
Meanwhile, Ravi Kumar, who scalped four wickets in the summit clash, said that his 'favourite' wicket in the match was of Jacob Bethell.
"Coaches kept telling me to do the basics and not worry about the results. The plan was to maintain tight line and length. The ball was sticking a bit and wanted to bowl full to get some movement. My favourite wicket today was the first wicket of the game (Bethell)," said Ravi kumar.
Few of the squad members including Shaik Rasheed and Yash Dhull had tested positive for COVID-19 midway through the tournament, but whoever stepped in did their role perfectly and India did not lose a single game in the 2022 U19 World Cup.
Chasing 190, India got off to the worst start possible as Joshua Boyden dismissed Angkrish Raghuvanshi (0) on the third ball of the innings. Harnoor Singh and Shaik Rasheed then got together at the crease and the duo put on 49 runs for the second wicket.
As soon as India started to gain an upper hand, England stormed right back into the contest in the 18th over as Thomas Aspinwall dismissed Harnoor (21), reducing India to 49/2.
Skipper Yash Dhull next joined Rasheed in the middle and both batters stitched together a partnership of 46 runs which saw Rasheed (50) going past his 50-run mark. However, as soon as he reached the milestone, he ended up giving his wicket away to James Sales. In his next over, Sales picked up the scalp of Dhull (17), and India was reduced to 97/4, still needing 93 runs for the win.
Raj Bawa (35) and Nishant Sindhu (50*) then ensured that India does not lose wickets in a cluster. In the end, India registered a four-wicket win to lift the U19 World Cup for the fifth time.
