Young Indian batsman Raj Bawa on Saturday scripted a massive Indian record during the team’s Group B tie against Uganda in the ICC U19 World Cup in Trinidad as he surpassed Shikhar Dhawan’s 18-year-old feat en route to his unbeaten knock of 162.
Bawa became the highest individual scorer in a single innings for India in the tournament history following his knock, breaking Dhawan’s 2004 feat. The veteran Indian batsman had scored an unbeaten 155 against Scotland in Dhaka in the 2004 U19 World Cup. Overall, it is the eighth-highest individual score in U19 World Cups with Sri Lanka’s H Boyagoda still leading the list with his knock of 191 against Kenya in the previous edition of the tournament.
Earlier in the same game, opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi had threatened to break Dhawan’s record, but was eventually dismissed for 144, which is now the fourth-highest score for India after Dhawan’s 146 against Sri Lanka in Dhaka during the 2004 U19 World Cup.
Put to bat first, India lost Harnoor Singh and captain Nishant Sindhu early before the third-wicket pair of Raghuvanshi and Bawa stitched a colossal 206-run stand that helped India set a mighty target of 405 against Uganda.
Meanwhile, 405/5 is now the highest total set by a team in the ongoing tournament, fifth highest overall and second highest for India after their 425/3 against Scotland in Dhaka in 2004. The total also made India the only team to score 400 or more in a single innings of a U19 World Cup more than once.
India have already won both their matches in the ongoing tournament, beating Ireland by 174 runs and South Africa by 45 runs. A win against Uganda will help them finish the group stage on an unbeaten note.