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The India National Cricket Team has been searching for reliable fast-bowling options who can support Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. And now Gurnoor Brar is being seen as that option. Gurnoor Brar has impressed everyone with his pace, bounce, and control.
He is now an exciting option for the future, and former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has expressed his admiration for Gurnoor's potential. The Punjab fast bowler made his ODI debut against Afghanistan earlier this year.
He has now been picked in India's Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka, starting on August 15 in Galle. Amid this, Zaheer Khan gives honest verdict on Mohammed Shami's 2027 World Cup hopes.
Zaheer Khan makes big prediction on Gurnoor Brar's India career
Zaheer Khan has been impressed by the talent shown by Gurnoor Brar. The 6-foot-5-inch pacer can regularly bowl at more than 140 km/h, and Zaheer feels the Indian team management is doing the right thing by fast-tracking Gurnoor at the international level.
The 2011 World Cup winner also believes that the young fast bowler can build a long career for India if he continues to improve. Zaheer has pointed out that Brar’s height gives him extra bounce, while his pace makes him difficult for batters to handle.
Zaheer Khan told journalist Vimal Kumar, “It's good to see a young crop of fast bowlers coming through that bowl at high speeds. I believe Gurnoor Brar is the one who has the ability to have a good and lengthy career. It's good that he has been fast-tracked. Even when I spent some time with him, I could see exciting potential in him. We have to wait and see how his career materializes eventually, but in potential, he has impressed me the most.”
Gurnoor's domestic numbers impressed everyone
Gurnoor Brar made his first-class debut in 2022, but his big breakthrough came during the 2024-25 season. The Punjab fast bowler picked up 26 wickets in seven matches to become the key bowler for the team. His best performance came against Bihar when he picked 5 wickets for just 14 runs.
Overall, he finished that season with 33 wickets in 12 matches at an impressive economy rate of 3.43. His pace and exact bounce made him a dangerous bowler to face in red-ball cricket.
Gurnoor also made a big impact in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League, where he finished as the leading wicket-taker. He took 22 wickets in 11 matches while maintaining an economy rate of 7.33. Amid this, Sarfaraz Khan's father gets emotional after India recall, shares touching poetry.
Gurnoor's sensational Sri Lanka tour
He was a net bowler for Mumbai Indians in 2019 and later made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings in 2023. His domestic performances eventually earned him India A chances. Brar picked up a sensational 10-wicket match haul for India A against Sri Lanka A in Galle during the recent tour.
He continued to impress even during the three-day warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Cricket XI. The young pacer bowled 20 overs and picked up 3 wickets for 86 runs and then surprised everyone with the bat.
Gurnoor smashed 36 runs from just 18 balls at a strike rate of 200. He even hit spinner Dilum Sudeera for four sixes in one over in Galle. Now, he is ready for his India Test debut.
