As kids, youngsters Harnoor Singh Pannu and Raj Angad Bawa would often hear about sporting days of their respective grandfathers from their family. While Raj’s grandfather Tarlochan Singh Bawa was a member of the 1948 Olympics gold medal- winning Indian hockey team, Harnoor’s grandfather Rajinder Singh played six Ranji Trophy matches for Punjab. On Friday, Harnoor emerged as the highest run-scorer and player of the tournament while Raj claimed a total of eight wickets and 68 runs in the tournament as India defeated Sri Lanka by nine wickets in a rain-affected final of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup played in Dubai. It was celebration time for the families of both the UTCA Chandigarh and PML SD College players.
“Harnoor was introduced to cricket by his grandfather Rajinder Singh and would practise in a nearby plot near our home in Jalandhar. As he made his basics strong, we decided to send him to Chandigarh to train under his uncle Harminder Singh Pannu. In 1989, one of his uncles, Bhupinder Singh Junior, won the player of the tournament in the inaugural edition of U-19 Asia Cup in Dhaka. Seeing Harnoor win the player of the tournament in U-19 Asia Cup makes it a special memory for the whole family,” said Harnor’s father Birinder Singh.
While Harnoor grew up in Jalandhar, Raj started his cricket training under his father and coach Sukhwinder Bawa. Sukhwinder, who happens to be the coach of former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, initially trained his son to be a pacer before concentrating on his batting. Left-handed Raj amassed 68 runs and eight wickets in Dubai and was one of the leading wicket-takers of the tournament. Prior to the U-19 Asia Cup, Raj Angad scored 154 runs in the U-19 Challenger Trophy and claimed eight wickets. In Dubai, Raj claimed four wickets against Pakistan in a group match.
“When he started cricket, he started as a medium pacer. I always knew that I could work on his bowling at a later stage and worked on his batting alone. It has helped him to grow as an all-rounder and he has spent a lot of time on his bowling in the last three years. This Asia Cup performance will boost his confidence. His grandfather would have been proud if he was alive today seeing Raj carrying forward the family legacy,” said Sukhwinder.
Harnoor amassed a total of 251 runs in Dubai, including a knock of 120 runs against UAE in India’s opening match. The youngster had scored more than 400 runs in Punjab’s title win in the Vijay Merchant Trophy in 2018 before he shifted to UTCA in 2019. In challenger trophy, he amassed 412 runs, including three consecutive centuries leading to his selection for the Indian u-19 team. “This performance will boost my confidence ahead of the U-19 World Cup. I am still not satisfied and hope to score more runs for Indian u-19 team to help the team win the U-19 World Cup Trophy,” said Harnoor.
Raj too felt confident ahead of this month’s U-19 World Cup. “We played well as a unit and each one contributed. I am happy to contribute in every opportunity and look to carry the momentum forward,” said Raj.
As for Harnoor’s father Birinder Singh, he is waiting for a day when he will announce India’s U-19 World Cup win over All India Radio, where he works as a presenter. “Hopefully I can interview Harnoor with India winning the U-19 World Cup,” said Birinder.