Gurnoor Brar has played 2 ODIs and taken six wickets.
India pacer Gurnoor Brar has credited the domestic circuit and the India A structure for his development after impressing a lot in his first two ODI games in the ongoing three-match series against Afghanistan.
After taking 3/27 in his ODI debut in Dharamshala, the six-foot-five-inch pacer picked 3/60 in the second ODI in Lucknow. Brar was questioned about his reputation as a fast bowler who can consistently strike the deck during the post-match news conference in Lucknow. But the 26-year-old was keen to minimize numbers and labeling.
"I don't think much about reputation or expectations. I believe in myself and in the work I'm doing. Whether it's bowling hard lengths or fuller lengths, I focus on what I need to do rather than the results. Preparation matters the most, and whether I can repeat my processes consistently every day. Even in these two matches, I feel I can do better. I know I can bowl better than I did today, and hopefully I'll improve in the coming games," Brar said in the post-match press conference, as quoted by Times of India.
According to Brar, the India A setup played a major role in that development. The bowler praised domestic cricket for providing him with the opportunity to dream larger and called it an important step in his development.
"The India A setup was a big stepping stone. Performances in the Ranji Trophy can take you to India A, the Duleep Trophy, and the Irani Cup. When I got the India A call-up, I was very happy. The same things that worked for me in domestic cricket, bowling fast, hitting hard lengths, and swinging the ball, I tried to replicate at the India A level as well. Siraj bhai was there too, and I spoke to him a lot,” he added.
He also credited his time with the Gujarat Titans for his development.
"The environment at the Gujarat Titans helped me a lot. There are experienced people like Ashish Nehra sir, Siraj bhai, Prasidh bhai, and Ishant Sharma. You learn so much from them. I was waiting for my opportunity, but at the same time, I was observing what they did well and where they made mistakes. My focus was always on learning as much as possible so that whenever I got my chance, I could perform better," he said.
Brar stressed the importance of yorkers in modern cricket and said it is an area every fast bowler must work on.
"I think every fast bowler should work on yorkers. I also spend a lot of time on death bowling and improving my yorkers because they're very important, especially against quality hitters. I never get satisfied. I'm happy that I performed well, but I want to do more for Team India. I want to keep improving and contributing,” he said.
The third and final ODI will be played on June 20 in Chennai.