Gurnoor Brar’s IPL bench experience fuels India dream: ‘I watched what they did right and wrong’

In his maiden series for India, Gurnoor has picked up three wickets in each of the first two matches, underlining his ability to perform at the highest level.

Gurnoor Brar has emerged as one of India's biggest positives from the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan. The tall pacer, who spent the entire IPL 2026 season on the sidelines, has grabbed his first international opportunity with both hands and made an immediate impact. In his maiden series for India, Gurnoor has picked up three wickets in each of the first two matches, underlining his ability to perform at the highest level.

Gurnoor Brar has picked six wickets in two matches so far. (PTI)

The 6ft-plus fast bowler has used his height effectively, hitting the deck hard and generating extra bounce while consistently touching speeds close to 140 kmph. His ability to extract movement and discomfort from the surface has troubled Afghanistan's batters throughout the series. He was India's standout bowler in the opening ODI, keeping his economy rate below six in a 25-over-a-side contest, before backing it up with another impressive spell in the second game, returning figures of 3/60 in his 10 overs.

Despite spending the entire IPL 2026 season on the sidelines, Brar insisted he used the time wisely by learning from some of the best fast bowlers around him at Gujarat Titans. The young pacer revealed that observing experienced names helped him understand the finer details of the craft before grabbing his opportunity with India.

“I didn’t get to play in the IPL but learnt a lot nevertheless,” Brar said after the second ODI against Afghanistan on Wednesday. “There were people like Ashish Nehra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. I observed what they were doing right and even what mistakes they committed. I didn’t get an IPL match, but got my opportunity for India, so can’t complain.”

Gurnoor working on yorkers

Brar also opened up on the areas he has been working on to become a more complete bowler, highlighting the importance of mastering yorkers and variations, especially in the death overs. The young pacer revealed how the guidance from bowling coach Morne Morkel has helped him improve his planning and decision-making while using his strengths effectively.

“I have been working on yorkers as it’s a very important delivery for the death overs, especially when you are bowling to good hitters. Morkel backs my skills and strengths, but tells me to plan when to bowl which delivery. Variation in pace is also important as bowling at one speed consistently can allow batters to get set,” Brar said.