ICC Under-19 World Cup: When Ravi Kumar's 'Fauji' dad couldn't tell his son about his grenade injury in Kashmir

Ravi Kumar's emergence as the new hero of the under-19 World Cup is not only the result of his own hard work but also due to the sacrifices of his CRPF father, who spent most of his life serving the country. The 18-year-old from Aligarh on Saturday scalped four wickets to play a pivotal role as India beat England by four wickets to lift the coveted u-19 World Cup trophy for a record fifth time. "Hum goli chalake desh seva karte hai, aur beta ball daal ke," (We fire bullets to protect our country, and my son serves the country with his bowling)," said Ravi's father assistant sub-inspector Rajinder Singh, who is now posted in a CRPF camp in the Maoist-prone Rayagada district of Odisha. Ravi was barely a toddler when Singh was badly injured in the 2006 Srinagar grenade attack which killed one and injured 11 soldiers but he never shared his trials and tribulations with his family. Singh spent "nearly whole of his life" posted in the militant-hit regions of Srinagar but always ensured that his wife and three children live and sleep peacefully.

"I always ensured that my family stays happy, without knowing the pain that I endured. Even when I sustained splinter injury on both my legs and arms, I did not tell them. They only came to know from TV," he recalled about the grenade attack. His son's fame in the U-19 World Cup has now made Singh a much sought-after person in the CRPF camp. It all began with Ravi Kumar's man-of-the-match show against their last edition's final nemesis Bangladesh. Ravi grabbed 3/14 in a sensational opening spell of 5-1-5-3 to spearhead India's five-wicket win and set up a semi-final clash against Australia. He carried on his momentum to return with 2/37 against Australia and in the final he along with