Table of Contents
The selection of Gurnoor Brar over Auqib Nabi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar sounds controversial when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel announced the squads across the formats. As the India vs Afghanistan bilateral series progresses, the pacer from Punjab is proving many critics wrong who raised their eyebrows when the selectors pronounced his name in the squads against Afghanistan.
Like the first ODI in Dharamshala, Gurnoor Brar was equally effective at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow for the second of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Brar, who claimed 3 wickets last night, credited the Indian cricket system for polishing his bowling skills.
6 wickets in 2 matches for the Punjab-born
In Lucknow, the six-foot-five-inch pacer clinched the wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Mohammad Saleem Safi, which helped India to register a 170-run win to seal the series.
Within a short period of time, the 26-year-old has developed a reputation for hitting the deck at a constant rate. Gurnoor Brar, however, chose to remain humble and close to the earth only to keep his focus on preparations.
"I don't think much about reputation or expectations. I believe in myself and in the work I'm doing. Whether it's bowling hard lengths or fuller lengths, I focus on what I need to do rather than the results,” Gurnoor Brar said in the post-match press conference after the 2nd ODI against Afghanistan in Lucknow.
Gurnoor Brar vows to do a lot better in the future
In two ODIs, the seamer claimed 6 wickets, three wickets in each, which is pretty good for a bowler who is a newcomer in the team. Brar himself believes that he could have done a lot better, and he aims to take himself to the next level through the process that he follows every day.
“Preparation matters the most, and whether I can repeat my processes consistently every day. Even in these two matches, I feel I can do better. I know I can bowl better than I did today, and hopefully I'll improve in the coming games,” he said.
Brar states that the India call-up was the major turning point in his career. According to him, through the Ranji Trophy, a player can play in the other domestic tournaments, but by playing for the India A side, one can come close to taking his stride into the Indian cricket team dressing room.
“The India A setup was a big stepping stone. Performances in the Ranji Trophy can take you to India A, the Duleep Trophy, and the Irani Cup. When I got the India A call-up, I was very happy. The same things that worked for me in domestic cricket, bowling fast, hitting hard lengths, and swinging the ball, I tried to replicate at the India A level as well,” Gurnoor Brar told the reporters.
Siraj bhai was there too: Brar
The pacer further credited Mohammed Siraj for helping him throughout the journey. He mentioned Ishan Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, and Ashish Nehra as well.
“Siraj bhai was there too, and I spoke to him a lot. The environment at the Gujarat Titans helped me a lot. There are experienced people like Ashish Nehra sir, Siraj bhai, Prasidh bhai, and Ishant Sharma. You learn so much from them,” he added.
