India's Gurnoor Brar made his international debut in a One Day International (ODI) against Afghanistan, where he delivered an impactful performance with his fast bowling. The match, which ended in a rain-curtailed seven-wicket victory for India, marked a significant milestone for Brar, who expressed his emotions about fulfilling his lifelong dream. Captain Shubman Gill also performed well, reinforcing his status as a top ODI batter. Brar's debut came after strong domestic performances and he bowled at speeds up to 148.2 km/h, taking 3 wickets for 27 runs.
India maintained their dominance over Afghanistan in the ongoing bilateral series, thrashing them by seven wickets in the first ODI of the three-match contest. Gujarat Titans stars Gurnoor Brar and Shubman Gill led India's all-round performance against the visitors.
Gurnoor Brar picks three wickets on his India debut. (PTI Photo)
There is a certain violence when Gurnoor Brar runs up to his bowling mark. The kind of violence that could make even the Dalai Lama, a resident of McLeodganj in Dharamsala, really angry. Standing 6ft 5in tall, the right arm pacer charges in hard and hurls the ball down with severe effort. The impact was so intense that on June 13, the ball needed cosmetic repairs in just the third over of the match.
The violence with which Brar bowls is a key reason why he has been fast-tracked to the Indian cricket team. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar swears by the promise that Gurnoor, a genetic freak in many ways, holds. That was on full display on Saturday as India romped to a seven-wicket win over Afghanistan at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
The opening game of the three-match series was reduced to a 25-over contest due to persistent rain. The match started four hours later than scheduled, with the toss taking place at 5:15 pm instead of 1:00 pm.
The crowd, patiently waiting in the stands, was finally rewarded when the clouds cleared and the SubAir drainage system took over, clearing the water in no time.
With the pitch having remained under covers for nearly 12 hours, the team bowling first was always expected to get movement. Shubman Gill won the toss and unleashed his Gujarat Titans teammate on the Afghan openers.
Running in hard, Gurnoor began with a rapid outswinging full toss to Ibrahim Zadran. The right-hander was beaten for pace and could not get to the ball. Despite getting swing, Gurnoor quickly adjusted his length and started pounding the deck.
As a child, Gurnoor got into fast bowling through tennis ball cricket, partly as a way to stay safe from big hits. A tennis ball bowled at pace gives bowlers a chance on surfaces that offer little natural deviation. On Saturday, the fifth delivery of his international career climbed sharply on Zadran, who could not control the shot. The ball ballooned into the air and ended up in the safe hands of captain Shubman Gill, Gurnoor's skipper at Gujarat Titans.
Many believe it was Gill who backed Gurnoor's inclusion in the Indian side. It was also Gill who handed him his debut cap before the toss. And it was Gill who smiled as the pacer looked up to the sky and thanked God for a wicket earned after years of work.
ARSHDEEP, GURNOOR DOMINATE OPENING SPELL
The most impressive aspect of Gurnoor's bowling was his pace, consistently hovering between 145 and 150 kph. While not among the absolute quickest in world cricket, Gurnoor brought back memories of India's bowling coach Morne Morkel, who built a career on hitting the deck hard and extracting bounce from fuller lengths.
Alongside him, Arshdeep Singh swung the ball both ways in the opening spell and unsettled the Afghan batting line up. The visitors slumped to 26/3 in the powerplay as India took complete control in the opening exchanges.
RAHMANULLAH GURBAZ STANDS UP
Things went slightly off script when Rahmanullah Gurbaz decided enough was enough. With wickets falling around him, the Afghan opener took it upon himself to attack.
Anything full was launched back over the bowler's head. Anything short was cut with disdain. The defining feature of Gurbaz's innings was his shot selection right from the opening over.
With Gurnoor bowling rockets and making life difficult for everyone else, Gurbaz targeted only one type of delivery from him, short and on the pads. He positioned himself and whipped the hook over the fence. It was this clarity that separated him from everyone else.
While the rest of the innings never really got going, Gurbaz single-handedly kept Afghanistan alive. He cut, pulled and targeted cow corner with authority, scoring against every Indian bowler.
He raced to his hundred in just 48 balls, the fastest by an Afghan batter and the second fastest ODI century against India. Gurbaz was the only batter in the line-up who matched the tempo required in a 25 over game.
Eventually, it took a barrage of yorkers from Nitish Kumar Reddy to dismiss him. Already fortunate twice, once when India declined a successful LBW review and once after escaping a run out, Gurbaz could not keep Nitish's delivery out.
After his dismissal in the 16th over with Afghanistan on 142, the innings collapsed.
In a game where they probably should have reached 220 to 230, Afghanistan were bowled out for just 194. Much of the credit for that late collapse belonged to Gurnoor Brar, who returned to dismiss Rashid Khan and Ziaur Rahman in the closing overs.
India's second debutant Harsh Dubey was key in wrapping up the innings as well, finishing with 3 wickets, having given away 47 runs from his 5 overs. While his debut was no…
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