Gurnoor Brar, the 6’5’’ Punjab pacer, is one of the picks for India’s home encounters against Afghanistan, which begin with the one-off Test in Mullanpur on Saturday.
A surprise choice for many, Gurnoor’s domestic numbers last season weren’t outstanding. But he had done a decent job in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy with 10 wickets from six games. In the just-concluded IPL, he was a part of the Gujarat Titans squad, but didn’t feature in any of the matches.
He had, however, impressed, in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, taking 26 wickets from seven appearances.
What pulled it off for the 26-year-old is his ability to generate steep bounce on flat decks and consistently hit the 140kph-mark or more. The young quick, though, isn’t overawed with his call-up to both the Test and ODI squads for the coming home assignment.
“I was just happy that I could get a call-up,” Gurnoor told The Telegraph on Monday night, before joining the rest of the Test squad in Mullanpur.
“That was my dream since the time I started playing cricket. That was what I had been practising for all these years. In fact, that’s the only thing I felt after coming to know of my selection.”
Steep bounce aside, bowling the hard length and outswinger is also Gurnoor’s strength. “I’m just working to sharpen my skills,” Gurnoor, who made his IPL debut in 2023 for Punjab Kings, said.
If he makes his international debut against Afghanistan, Gurnoor will be going into his maiden India appearance without any game time for over two months. But that shouldn’t be much of a problem as he’s banking on what he has learnt off the Titans’ new-ball duo Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada’s “passion and hunger”.
“Of course, being alongside bowlers like Sirajbhai and Rabada both at practice and the dressing room is a big plus. The passion and hunger with which they play is something I’ve watched carefully and tried to inculcate in myself.
“The intensity needs to be maintained right through. That’s been a massive learning for me,” Gurnoor emphasised.
Comfort level
Having his Punjab and Titans teammate Shubman Gill as captain also brings in a bit of comfort for the newcomer. There shouldn’t be any feeling of unease also as he played for India ‘A’ last year in a multi-day game against South Africa ‘A’ in Bengaluru alongside Siraj, Rishabh Pant among others.
“Yes, having Shubman as captain is a matter of comfort. But I have played
with quite a few of these (Team India) guys at the domestic level.
“I took four wickets for India A last year in Bengaluru (at the BCCI Centre of Excellence) under Rishabhbhai’s captaincy. So, it’s not that I’m going to find myself in an entirely new environment,” Gurnoor said.
