India 'A' sweep series vs New Zealand 'A'

Bawa, one of the standout performers in India's triumphant U-19 World Cup campaign early this year, showed why he is rated highly. The 19-year-old, who made his India 'A' debut in the second game of the series and took 1-14, got onto the wicket-takers' board by dismissing Mark Chapman (11) --- caught behind by Sanju Samson --- in his first spell. Others to contribute for the hosts include leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (2-39) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-29).

New Zealand 'A' remained in the chase thanks to their opener Dane Cleaver's 89-ball 83. Once Rishi Dhawan (1-27) got rid of Cleaver --- caught by Srikar Bharat --- Bawa returned for his second spell to wrap up the Kiwi innings. Bawa got rid of Michael Rippon (29), Jacob Duffy (1) and Matthew Fisher (0) to dismiss the visitors in 38.3 overs.

The first half of play saw the hosts riding crucial contributions from skipper Sanju (54), Tilak Varma (50) and a late flourish from Shardul Thakur (33-ball 51) to finish with a competitive total. Bawa, the star of the show, credited Shardul for keeping him calm. "He asked me to not do anything different and just stick to what works for me.

Ahead of this game, I chatted with him to understand how he was able to maintain his all-round skills. He stressed on striking a fine balance while training --- not bowl too much in training nor bowl too less. The same was the case with batting as well," Bawa said after the match.

Ahead of the domestic season, Bawa --- who made his first-class debut earlier this year for Chandigarh --- is keen to gain more experience and get better at his craft. Apart from attending a camp at the NCA in Bengaluru, Bawa interacted with Australian pace ace Glenn McGrath during a short camp at MRF Pace Foundation here. "He