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Gurnoor Brar impressed everyone with his stellar performance on his debut during India’s seven-wicket win over Afghanistan in the first ODI in Dharamshala. After criticizing Shubman Gill, former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Gurnoor and also lauded the selectors for showing faith in him.
The Indian selection committee faced a lot of criticism when they selected Gurnoor instead of Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi. But after seeing the performance of this young player, Ashwin has hit back at the critics and praised the decision of the selectors.
Gurnoor Brar’s brilliant debut silences the doubters
When India’s squad for the ongoing three-match ODI series against Afghanistan was announced, many criticized chief selector Ajit Agarkar and other selectors for ignoring Auqib Nabi in place of Gurnoor Brar due to his remarkably consistent performances in domestic cricket.
Interestingly, Gurnoor also had very limited domestic experience and played only one IPL match in 2023, but when he got the chance, he proved the selectors’ decision right. He finished with impressive figures of 3/27 in 4.5 overs in the rain-interrupted Dharamsala ODI.
Ravichandran Ashwin makes big prediction on Gurnoor Brar’s future
After the Men in Blue took a 1-0 lead in the ongoing ODI series, Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted Gurnoor’s height, strength and ability to bowl above 145km/h consistently. He also told that the fast bowler gets good swing with the new ball but there is still a lot of scope for improvement.
Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “Gurnoor Brar, we have to say he is really impressive. He is tall, and looks like he is quite strong too. He bowls every ball at over 145 kmph. There is a big advantage in that. The skill, the action and the swing he gets with the new ball – there is a lot of stuff there. He can bowl even faster; he is young.”
Ashwin lauds selectors’ Gurnoor Brar’s move on Auqib Nabi
Ashwin believes that the national selectors and coaches deserve credit for identifying such talent early. Even the former Indian off-spinner has predicted that Brar can become a big weapon for the team in the future. Earlier, Aakash Chopra praised the debut of Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey.
He further added, “When the selectors picked Gurnoor Brar and not Auqib Nabi, a lot of people talked about it. I think it was a very good spot. It’s not a comparison between them, but the selectors and coaches should be praised who looked at Gurnoor; it’s a really good look. If he stays fit and does all the right things, he can be a very big bowler for India in the future.”
Ravichandran Ashwin praised Harsh Dubey’s fighting spirit.
Speaking about another debutant, Harsh Dubey, Ashwin lauded the young spinner’s fighting attitude as he made a brilliant comeback in Dharamshala after being bowled by Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 16 runs in his first over. The left-arm spinner changed his approach and made a brilliant comeback, fighting his way back into the game and taking three wickets.
Ashwin said, “I know Harsh Dubey very well; there was no doubt in my mind that he would be a good player. He always fights, never backs down from the contest. He proved a bit costly, but the way he came back – that’s Harsh Dubey for you. He can bat very well too.”
