Gurnoor Brar's debut international wicket has Shubman Gill's name on it

India captain Shubman Gill, left, congratulates Gurnoor Brar for taking three wickets. (AP Photo)

TimesofIndia.com in Dharamsala: It is fitting that Gurnoor Brar's first international wicket has Shubman Gill's name on it: Ibrahim Zadran caught by Shubman Gill, bowled by Gurnoor Brar. If not for Gill, the 26-year-old could have been just another Indian pacer who vanished into thin air after impressing everyone with his speed. By his own admission, Brar was quick and erratic, and he learnt the lesson the hard way after an unforgettable Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for the Punjab Kings in 2023. He could have had a dream start, but KL Rahul's regulation chance was dropped at backward point. He was then taken for the cleaners, and returned with a lesson. "Tez ball se paaji ab koi darta nahi chahe aap 155 hi kyu na daal rahe ho (No one is afraid of sheer pace now). I learnt the lesson the hard way," he told TimesofIndia.com after getting picked for the Indian team. The lesson was followed by injuries and going unsold in the IPL auction. Before the start of IPL 2024, the career took a different turn when he got a helping hand from Gill, who asked him to join the Gujarat Titans (GT) as a net bowler. But Gill had one condition: that he would let go of his stubbornness of hitting the back of a length five times in an over and start bowling full. "Shubman pushes you a lot. He never gets satisfied and does not let his teammates stay content," Brar had said. For the past two years, Gurnoor has been part of the GT squad, but is yet to get a single game. The reason was simple: the six-foot-five-inch-tall bowler was still a work in progress. Even during the IPL, Brar was told to bowl with the red ball to improve his length and exercise more control. He did as his captain and childhood friend demanded. Slowly, he got his rewards. He was picked for the India A squad, where he caught the selectors' eye when he bowled his heart out on the placid Lucknow track in the unofficial Test matches against Australia A. His ability to bowl long spells, extract bounce from the surface and, most importantly, strengthen his back-of-a-length deliveries, along with a significant improvement in bowling fuller lengths, stood out. On Saturday at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, Brar picked up three wickets in his 29-ball spell, and he not only impressed everyone with his pace but with his lengths as well. "Very impressive, how Gurnoor bowled, brilliant pace and the way he was swinging the ball, the kind of length he bowled consistently," captain Shubman Gill told broadcasters after India's six-wicket win over Afghanistan.

Gurnoor Brar (AP Photo)

Brar, sharing the new ball with his fellow Punjab teammate Arshdeep Singh, bowled full in his first spell and got his first wicket with his fifth ball. It was a length delivery that moved away late. Zadran went for the drive, got a leading edge in the air, and Gill, running backwards at mid-off, completed the catch. The next ball, he had Sediqullah Atal trapped, although India lost the review. Having bowled fuller lengths in his first spell, Brar switched to the short ball in his second. Although he leaked a couple of boundaries, he outfoxed his GT teammate Rashid Khan with a full, straight delivery. Anticipating another bouncer, Rashid was already on the back foot, but Brar changed his length. The former Afghanistan captain swung hard, missed, and watched the ball crash into his leg stump. Brar finished with three wickets on debut and got his third of the day with a back-of-a-length delivery. It is still early days, but Brar has given a glimpse that he has it in him to take the flight to the 2027 ODI World Cup. At the press conference after selecting the team for the Afghanistan series, India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar spoke of how Gurnoor has shown promise over the past year and a half playing domestic and India A cricket, and why the selectors were keen to see his development with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup. With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj set to return to the ODI set-up closer to the World Cup, Brar will add freshness to the Indian pace attack as a first-change bowler. Brar is tall, hits the deck hard and swings and seams at high pace. Add to this the ability to nail yorkers and get the old ball to reverse. Brar didn't have a rapid rise. He realised that speed only thrills. The friendly advice from ODI and Test captain Gill allowed him to learn the tricks of the trade at Gujarat Titans, and he is now reaping rewards for the hours of grind. Father Sukhbir Singh Brar had his hands folded when Zadran miscued the hit. The moment Gill completed the catch, Brar Sr. celebrated his son's debut wicket with a lot of enthusiasm and received multiple pats on the back from Lakhwinder Singh Gill, Shubman's father, who was seated right next to him. "Tu aa ja, kaafi seekhega (You will learn a lot)," Gill had told Brar while extending an invitation to join GT as a net bowler. Little Brar would have known back then that the advice would change his, and his family's life in a few years.

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