WELLINGTON: Gurnoor Brar is a perfect recipe for a fast bowler. The 26-year-old, who stands six-foot-five, has a repeatable action, and his ability to consistently hit that nagging hard length has rightly earned him the X-factor tag.However, the burly pacer has had his fair share of struggles in the ODI series against West Indies and England, where he leaked runs and conceded nearly 100 runs twice in his short career. Questions were raised about his lack of consistency, and it was clear that no matter how well-measured the ingredients were, the final dish needed the right stir — which came as he arrived in New Zealand.For Gurnoor, New Zealand was the right opportunity to make his genetic gifts and hard work in the nets count, while silencing the critics who questioned the need for quicks over a wicket-taking spinner. India captain Shubman Gill has been vocal about preferring tall fast bowlers to make inroads during the middle-overs phase, and the skipper will be mighty pleased with how Gurnoor bent his back in both Auckland (3/44) and Wellington (4/30).The conditions were helpful for the pacers, but the ball still needed to be put in the right areas, and Brar did the job with aplomb. He wasn’t carried away by the extra bounce, movement in the air or nip off the surface. Instead, he adjusted well to the “trampoline”-like uneven bounce and carry from the playing surface and ran through the opposition with some serious heat.Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith were all undone by pace and extra bounce. The double-wicket burst in the 20th over was enough to put the home team on the mat, as Gurnoor continued relentlessly without compromising pace. This was exactly what Gill wanted during that phase: to prevent the opposition from forging a partnership. He finally got the results from the bowler he had long been working on and backed through tough times.“My plan was simple – to hit my lengths and back my skills. Every day is a learning to get better, and ensure I adapt. I was looking to bowl full earlier and then use my bouncer at right moment,” said Brar in the press conference later.
Gurnoor Brar (Photo by Sahil Malhotra from TimesofIndia.com)
“Backing is very important for every player. There were flat tracks in India but we were backed there too by (the) management. They asked me to back my lengths and said khul ke ball daal (bowl freely). Shubman Gill backs everyone, doesn’t judge by performance. He himself has hunger for himself and the team,” he added.The real test, however, will come on pitches that offer nothing for the bowlers. The debate between a fast bowler and a spinner will again take centre stage, but if there is enough spice in the surface, Gurnoor is ready to cook up a storm, and he has shown it in both matches so far.There is method behind the madness, and the subtle changes in release points and use of the width of the crease further make him unplayable on pitches like Wellington. Not to forget the occasional change in length he used to keep the batters guessing at the Hnry Stadium.Gurnoor has answered many questions. He will inject a lot of belief into the dressing room, and it is now up to the thinktank to figure out how to manage him in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup, where early-season pitches are expected to be better than the roads Gurnoor encountered at Lord’s and Guwahati earlier this year.
