Gurnoor Brar made an immediate impact on his India debut, striking in his very first over against Afghanistan in Dharamsala. The right-arm pacer needed just five deliveries to open his international account, removing Ibrahim Zadran and giving India an early breakthrough.
He ended up claiming three wickets to make it a dream debut.
With rain reducing the match to a 25-over-a-side contest, the bowlers were under pressure to get their lengths right from the outset. Brar rose to the challenge, keeping things tight and making life difficult for the Afghanistan batters. He conceded only two runs in his opening over and backed it up with a wicket, making an impressive start in Indian colours.
The debutant nearly had success with the very first ball of his spell as well. Sediqullah Atal was struck on the pads, prompting an appeal, but the delivery had pitched outside the leg stump, and the batter survived. Brar remained disciplined and stuck to his plans, reaping the rewards moments later when Zadran fell. Having spent IPL season on the bench, the youngster grabbed his opportunity at the highest level and made an encouraging start to his international career.
Brar also caught the eye with his pace, consistently pushing past the 140 kmph mark, even getting close to 150 kmph and asking plenty of questions of the Afghanistan batters. More impressive than the speed was his control, as he repeatedly hit the right areas and maintained pressure from one end. The debutant looked unfazed by the occasion, combining pace with discipline in a performance that offered plenty of encouragement for India and suggested he could have a bright future at the international level.
He delivered an impressive spell on debut, finishing as India’s most successful bowler with figures of 3 for 27 in 4.5 overs. Operating with the new ball, the right-arm pacer bowled three overs in his opening spell and conceded just 16 runs while keeping the Afghanistan batters under pressure.
The tall paceman was brought back into the attack in the 15th over as India looked to halt Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s counterattack. Brar kept things tight, giving away only seven runs from the over, with four leg-byes coming off the final delivery.
Gurnoor restricts AFG to 194
The youngster was then trusted with the final over of the innings, a responsibility he handled impressively. He struck twice in the over, dismissing Rashid Khan and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, ensuring Afghanistan were bowled out for under 200. It capped a memorable debut performance for the Punjab pacer, who made an immediate impact in Indian colours.
The 26-year-old forced his way into the India setup with a string of strong performances for Punjab in domestic cricket. Before his debut, the right-arm seamer had picked up 52 wickets in 18 first-class matches, with best figures of 5/14. In List A cricket, he had claimed 12 wickets in nine appearances, including a best of 4/43. Standing close to 6ft 5in, Brar has used his height to extract extra bounce and trouble batters with his pace. His displays for Punjab and India A put him firmly on the selectors’ radar and ultimately earned him an opportunity at the international level.