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Who is Gurnoor Brar?: The ODI and the Test squad for the India National Cricket Team have been announced for the upcoming series against Afghanistan starting from the 6th of June. There have been some shocking omissions and additions in the squad while the team was announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia.
The team was announced late afternoon, as among the shocking picks was Gurnoor Brar, who got his maiden call-up for the Men in Blue in both Test and ODI teams. The young pacer comes from Punjab and has been an old teammate of India captain Shubman Gill. Gurnoor Brar is also a part of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 team, Gujarat Titans (GT).
Who is Gurnoor Brar, who got maiden call-up for Afghanistan series?
Gurnoor Brar comes from the Sri Muktsar Sahib district in Punjab. He is a tall 6’5 inch hit the deck bowler and generates good bounce from the wicket. The 25-year-old pacer made his first-class debut in 2022 and his IPL debut with the Punjab Kings in 2023, but 2024 was his breakthrough year. He took 26 wickets in 7 matches during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season.
In the same season, he finished as Punjab's leading wicket-taker. He also led the wicket-takers' chart in the 2024 Sher-E-Punjab T20, taking 22 wickets in 11 matches with an average of 14 and an economy rate of 7.33. Gujarat Titans paid INR 1.30 crore for him during the 2025 IPL auction. Though he only featured in one game in the IPL back in 2024 for the Punjab Kings.
I used to bowl to him since our Under-19 days- Gurnoor Brar
Brar has made 18 first-class appearances and is a mainstay for Punjab. His height and ability to produce speed got the selectors' notice, and he is now a regular in India. A team has taken 12 wickets in three matches thus far.
Shubman Gill, who noticed Brar's talent early. ''I used to bowl to him since our Under-19 days. I remember when he was playing for India Under-19, he featured in a couple of Katoch Shield matches. He saw me bowling and helped me get into the district team. I played for Mohali and was then picked for the Punjab Under-23 side,'' Brar told Times of India.
He shows promise- Ajit Agarkar on Brar's performance
BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar has identified Brar as 'one for the future.' "We are always looking. We do not have an overseas tour for a while, so we have more time. He shows promise and the India A tour gave us a chance to see him," Agarkar had said.
India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
India's Test Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc) Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel
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