Rajangad Bawa — doing everything in his power to make up for lost time

 India seems to produce a cluster of star performers in every U-19 World Cup these days, to the extent that displays in the tournament have nearly ceased to earn these youngsters a quicker route to the national set-up. Even so, it was worth sticking around and seeking an extended chat with Rajangad Bawa at the end of a hard-fought opening day between Chandigarh and Delhi in the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy.

He is, after all, a seam-bowling all-rounder, a job description that continues to be as elusive in Indian cricket as a pollution-free winter day in the national capital. And he is only 21.

If his numbers don’t necessarily make for compelling reading at this juncture, it’s primarily because the youngster from Chandigarh has not played enough cricket since his exploits in India’s title-winning U-19 World Cup campaign in 2022. Before his Ranji Trophy outing against Delhi commenced on Wednesday, he had made just eight First-Class, six List- A and 13 T20 appearances.

The reason for the limited game time has been his tryst with injuries, but before we dwell on that, let’s cast our memory back to the 14th edition of the U-19 World Cup in early 2022 to understand why Bawa’s all-round skills evoked genuine excitement in the first place. On the idyllic islands that make up the Caribbean, with India eyeing its fifth U-19 title, he displayed belligerence as a left-hand batter while finishing as India’s second-best run-getter and sharpness as a right-arm seamer to end as its third-highest wicket-taker. Both aspects came together perfectly on the big day, winning the Player of the Match in the final by bagging five for 31 before contributing 35 in a nervy run chase against England U-19.

Injury setbacks

When a Ranji debut for Chandigarh, a maiden IPL stint with Punjab Kings and an India A call-up for a 50-over series against New Zealand-A all followed that year, there was a sense that he was on the right track. But then, destiny had other plans.

“After the U-19 World Cup, I played in the Ranji Trophy, IPL, and for India A. There was non-stop cricket going on,” Bawa, now donning a neatly-trimmed beard, told The Hindu. “Because of the load the body was taking, I had started feeling it a little bit, but the mistake I made was that I didn’t take rest. I just kept playing. Then during the first practice session for India- A (against NZ-A), I felt something was wrong because I was sensing back pain after bowling. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) physios managed it well at that time and made me even play two matches comfortably. After that, when I went to play for Chandigarh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, I felt the issue had become bigger. The NCA called me to Bengaluru, and the back issue was sorted in 2-3 months. But then when I started bowling again, I suffered a tear near my right shoulder. This was two months before IPL 2023. Normally, a tear takes 2-3 months to recover, but my issue was a bit complicated. It took me 5-6 months to get back. I missed the IPL and other tournaments and the comeback took longer than expected.”

The good news is that Bawa is fully fit and back playing regularly for Chandigarh. And unlike last season when he was just returning to action, he is now free of constraints about his workload and anxiety about the prospect of getting injured again. That is reflected in his performances too. In his three completed matches for Chandigarh in the Ranji Trophy this season, he has made 209 runs at 52.25, including a career-best 146, and picked up eight wickets, significantly better than his numbers in the 2023-24 Ranji campaign where he had played all of three games.

“It is quite satisfying (to be getting a run of games),” said Bawa. “When things were going well for me, I had injuries and stuff. It has been four matches and, touch wood, there has been no issue. I have no restrictions now. I can bowl as many overs as the team needs. Last season, the NCA had put a limit on the number of overs. But that is not there this season. Obviously when you are just coming back, you are apprehensive about not getting hurt again. But I have been playing for the last one year. Gradually, it has gotten out of my head. Now I know that my body is completely fit and ready to play.”

In his time recovering from injuries at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, which has now been renamed as the Centre of Excellence and moved to a much swankier facility in the city’s outskirts, Bawa also underwent corrections to his bowling action. “There were minor corrections with my arm path and landing foot,” he explained. “Some minor changes had to be brought in. You can’t tinker too much with the natural action, but when I was doing my rehab at NCA, they were working on my action as well.”

Solid backing

During the course of a 15-minute interaction, Bawa emphasised the NCA’s helpful guidance in his comeback journey on more than one occasion. That the all-rounder remains part of an elite list invited for high-performance camps at the NCA is another reason for his gratitude towards the V.V.S. Laxman-led set-up.

“I went to the NCA in August. Being in the ‘Targeted Players’ list does give me a lot of motivation. Last season, my numbers had been average because I was thinking more about the injuries and not able to focus much on my performances. So I wasn’t expecting to be in the group this time because my performances didn’t merit it. But even then, the BCCI and selectors saw my potential and supported me. It made me happy. It was surprising as well that they were backing me so much. It meant a lot to me. The NCA called me for 2-3 camps, took fitness tests and is monitoring everything right now,” he said. “I wear a GPS tracker while bowling even during a match. I have to send the number of overs I bowl every day for the NCA to have a look.”

Bawa’s father and coach, Sukhwinder, has played a supporting role as well. “It is very difficult being a coach and father. I have to keep a balance,” said Sukhwinder, who has most notably trained Yuvraj Singh. “My only focus is to ensure he stays relaxed. I don’t want to put pressure on him. Neither does he put pressure on himself nor do I put on him. In the back of his mind, it must be there that he needs to perform, but I tell him that enjoying the game is more important.”

Easier said than done, of course. Particularly in the immediate aftermath of the U-19 World Cup victory, there were enormous expectations from Bawa that could have potentially messed with his head. How did he deal with them?

“At that time, there were a lot of comparisons with Hardik Pandya. That was not right for him because he has been playing at the top level for many years. I look up to him. I talk to him too. I met him at the NCA and whenever I have tried speaking to him, he has given me the right guidance,” offered Bawa, who has recently attended IPL trials for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. “Everyone has their own way of dealing with expectations. People on the outside have greater expectations. I knew I had to just do my work. I had clarity that I could just focus and perform in my next match or tournament. The rest is for other people.”

As much as he tries to steer clear of putting pressure on himself, the rise of Andhra all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy into the Indian set-up recently is a pointer to what may have been for Bawa.

“Yeah, playing for India is inevitably on everyone’s mind,” Bawa said. “Now India have got another all-rounder in Nitish, who bats really well. We saw it in the IPL and in the T20I series against Bangladesh. It is a good thing. If he is playing, he deserves it. Now I take it as a challenge that I also need to prove myself. I need to find out if I am better than him or not. If I am not, then let him play. I think like that.”