"Yuvraj Singh is my favorite player," says Raj Bawa who wants Yuvi's autograph on his U19 WC bat

Raj Singh Bawa, one of the stars of the U-19 Cricket World Cup 2022 was never really interested in cricket as a child. He was a good student in school scoring good grades till he was 13. Back during that time, Dharamshala hosted an international match where Raj's father, Sukhwinder Singh Bawa, decided to take his son to witness the game live.

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He was a topper in his school: Sukhwinder Bawa on Raj Bawa

Little did anyone know that this match is going to change the life of the teenager. Slowly Raj started shifting his concentration from studies to cricket. It didn't go unnoticed by his father. Sukhwinder once shared with PTI, He started playing when he was 11 or 12 years old before that he wasn't interested in it. He liked to listen and dance to Punjabi songs on the television. "He went on tour with me to Dharamshala and saw a lot of intense matches being played out. After that, he started sitting with me in team meetings and his interest in cricket arose from there. After that, he started playing seriously".

On being asked aout Raj's studies, Sukhwinder said, "He was a topper in his school. Even in class ninth, he came second in school."

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Sporting skills actually run in their genes. Tarlochan Singh Bawa, father of Sukhwinder Singh Bawa played with Balbir Singh Senior, Leslie Claudius, and Keshav Dutt to clinch the gold medal in the 1948 London Olympics. Sukhwinder himself was the U-19 coach of Yuvraj Singh. And now, Raj Bawa is carrying the family's legacy.

I used to imitate Yuvraj Singh while batting: Raj on his favorite

Raj saw his idol Yuvi Paaji training with his father as a child. Soon he started getting inspired by the great Yuvraj Singh. Raj shared, "My father trained Yuvraj Singh. I used to watch him when I was a kid. I used to imitate Yuvraj Singh while batting, I watched his batting videos. He's my role model." Raj even wears the number 12 jersey, the same as his role model.

Yuvraj influenced Raj to such an extent that even after being a right-hander, he started playing like the southpaw. Sukhwinder further said, "When he was a kid, Raj kept on watching Yuvraj, who could come for his nets at the academy and for kids, the first hero makes a lasting impression. So, when Raj picked that bat he picked from the left but everything else — bowling, throwing, etc he would do from the right hand. I tried to correct him but when I would turn around, he again held the bat with a left-handed stance. So, then I let it be."

Raj is now at the beginning of a very long journey. It will be quite exciting for him to live these days.