Gurnoor Brar had a historic, record-breaking debut ODI series for India against Afghanistan last month. The towering 6'5" speedster from Punjab consistently troubled batters by combining raw pace over 145 km/h with steep bounce.
Across the three-match series, Brar picked up seven wickets at an average of 25.14. As a result, he became India’s leading wicket-taker in a debut ODI series, surpassing the previous record of 6 wickets jointly held by Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishna.
Brar has seamlessly carried this international confidence back to red-ball cricket. He just spearheaded India A to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka A in Galle, registering a sensational 10-wicket match haul (4/77 and 6/68). This stellar form makes him a massive contender for a spot in India's upcoming Test assignment.
Impressed with his exploits, former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has picked Gurnoor Brar as the most impressive young Indian fast bowler in recent times.
"Gurnoor Brar. As much as we have seen him, the guy is impressive. He has picked up 10 wickets just now against Sri Lanka A. He was picking up wickets in all the games he played for India," Chopra responded when asked on his YouTube channel to name an Indian pacer with great potential.
"Of course, Afghanistan was in front of him. So it wasn't that big an opposition, but it's not his mistake what opposition you keep in front of him. So Gurnoor Brar looks like a very, very good prospect," he added.
In the same video, Chopra highlighted the unique bowling mechanics that allow the tall seamer to extract extra bounce, movement, and late seam deviation off the pitch.
"Firstly, look at his height. After that, he bowls with a high-arm action and his knee braces a little, and that's why he gains the optimum height. It means you get extra bounce, and the ball releases well from your hand, and that's why it swings and seams after pitching. He is constantly telling us that the guy is special. He has got the skills," he remarked.
For Aakash Chopra, Gurnoor Brar leads the pack but he also rates young pacers Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan highly.
"Prince Yadav looks impressive to me in white-ball cricket. I find Mohsin Khan very impressive, if he remains fit. These are two or three names for now, but the beauty of Indian cricket is that people keep coming. However, at this point in time, Gurnoor is looking like India's shining light," he said.
While Gurnoor Brar is not part of India’s squad for the ongoing five-T20I series against England, he has been included in the squad for the upcoming three-ODI series, slated to begin on July 14 at Edgbaston.
