Shubman promises, pacers deliver: Rookie fast bowlers impress in Auckland

Towards the end of New Zealand’s innings, Gurnoor Brar started to get in Blair Tickner’s face. The six-foot-five fast bowler dared New Zealand’s number one and hit him for a six at Eden Park, a pitch where short boundaries can make life miserable for even the fastest bowlers.

If Virat Kohli was ever to become a fast bowler, you can imagine he would. Approaching the opposing No. 11 and daring the poor man to hit the fastest bowler on the team for a six. 1st ODI Scorecard | Highlighting

However, Tickner was up for some pranks. He had just hit Arshdeep Singh for three sixes in the previous over, which basically started Gurnoor’s little antics on the field. He pointed to the stumps and seemingly told the young fast bowler to aim for them instead of trying to take his head off.

Next ball? Another sharp bouncer went for Tickner’s head. New Zealand’s number one barely survived this time.

One ball later? Another short delivery. Tickner managed just over the wicket to end New Zealand’s innings on 185.

Tickner showed him the stumps. Gurnoor showed him the way back! Watch #NZvIND 1st ODI LIVE on #SonySportsNetwork and #SonyLIV Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) November 4, 2026

India went through New Zealand’s batting line-upbowling the visitors in just 40.2 overs. Without Tickner’s late counter-attack, which included four sixes and a boundary, New Zealand would have struggled to cross the 180 mark on Wednesday 4 November.

But Gurnoor’s little exchange with Tickner was a fitting end to what India served up during the innings. It was a glimpse of the attitude the young fast bowler brings to the attack and perhaps a hint of what India might take to the 2027 ODI World Cup. AFP Photo

A year from now, when India head to South Africa for the tournament, they will want fast bowlers who are ready to bend their backs, mine everything the surface has to offer and keep hitting the batsmen throughout the 50 overs. Gurnoor’s spell in Auckland was an encouraging demonstration of this possibility.

Speaking ahead of the first ODI, Indian captain Shubman Gill offered an explanation as to why tall, fast bowlers can be so difficult to handle, especially through the middle overs.

“I’ve played a lot in the middle overs and I’ve seen that if those (tall) bowlers can hit the right places – obviously hitting the right areas is key – if the tall fast bowlers can hit the right places, it’s a lot more difficult to score runs than someone who bowls at 135, 130 (km/h),” Gill said.

“You’ve got to be really precise in creating shots. You’ve got to be really on top of your game to score against somebody who’s 140 (kph) plus, who’s 6’1″, 6’2″, 6’3″. And there’s a lot more risk when you try to score freely (against) a bowler like that.”

In short, when a tall fast bowler hits the deck hard in the middle overs, the batsman is in trouble. Bounce can constrict his room, pace can speed up his shots, and suddenly the singles that keep an inning moving are not as easy to come by.

That was the challenge New Zealand faced in Auckland, although India’s plans for them had a bit more nuance than just asking their tall fast bowler to bowl short.

GURNOOR BRARA LEGACY, CAMBODIA CRAFT

After Arshdeep Singh’s opening spell yielded two wickets, India needed to keep the pressure on New Zealand’s best middle-order batsmen. Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Tom Latham were the players the hosts backed to rebuild the innings, with Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj tasked with ensuring they never quite got comfortable.

Gurnoor immediately set to work. The tall fast bowler from Punjab has emerged as an intriguing option for India’s plans ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, and his spell offered a glimpse of why his physicality could be useful in conditions that reward pace and bounce.

He began by targeting the well-built Tim Seifert with short deliveries, repeatedly forcing the New Zealand batsman to play off the back foot. Seifert, who had scored a century in the previous T20I, was forced to look for relief as the score became harder to sustain.

Gurnoor seemed to sense that Seifert was desperately trying to break free. He bent his back and produced a sharp short ball, slightly outside the off-stump, that the batter could only get halfway up. Under him, substitute fielder Ruturaj Gaikwad was waiting and India had a breakthrough.

A few overs later it was Latham’s turn. Gurnoor had already made the New Zealand skipper struggle with a short ball when he followed it up with a sharp, fuller delivery on the stumps. Stuck in his crease, Latham could only tentatively push at him. The ball flew straight back towards Gurnoor who held on with his left hand on his drive.

Gurnoor takes matters into his own hands! Watch #NZvIND 1st ODI LIVE on #SonySportsNetwork and #SonyLIV Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) November 4, 2026

Two goals, two different dismissals, but the same basic idea. Gurnoor used his pace and bounce to make the batsmen uncomfortable and capitalized when they were unsure of what was coming next.

If Gurnoor was an example of raw ability, Kamboj was an example of well-earned craftsmanship. A symphony, if you will.

MISERY ANSHUL KAMBOJ

Kamboj is neither particularly tall nor an exceptionally fast bowler. What he does exceptionally well, however, is judge his lengths and use subtle variations in his seam movement to keep the batsmen guessing. He may not have Gurnoor’s height, but he has a knack for making small adjustments that can change the outcome of a delivery.

His first victim was Mitchell Santner. After tossing a full over the wicket and sliding the ball over the left-hander, Kamboj moved to the opposite angle of the wicket, rounded the wicket and attacked Santner’s off-stump.

The change worked immediately. Santner bowled the very first delivery from a new angle and the ball trickled back into the stumps. Kamboj set him up by showing him one line before bringing the ball back into play from another.

The wicket fest continues. Anshul gets Santner Watch #NZvIND 1st ODI LIVE on #SonySportsNetwork and #SonyLIV Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) November 4, 2026

Nathan Smith was Kamboja’s second wicket, although much of the credit for that dismissal went to Virat Kohli, who made a sensational catch on the second slide. The catch was a reminder that India’s pressure did not just come from the bowlers. The fielders were alert, the plans were clear and it was difficult for New Zealand to escape the pressure.

Royal catch by King Kohli! Watch #NZvIND 1st ODI LIVE on #SonySportsNetwork and #SonyLIV Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) November 4, 2026

Gurnoor and Kamboja’s spells were a good example of what bowling coach Morne Morkel is trying to build: clever, varied plans backed by the ability to execute them. India did not have their first pace attack available but the substitutes did not try to simply fill the overs. They looked for ways to make life difficult for the opposition.

The opening ODI could prove to be one of the more interesting talking points of the series because of this. India’s fast bowling is not at full strength at the moment, but the attack has shown that they believe they can put the opposition batsmen under pressure even away from home. There is a difference between controlling pace and knowing how to use it, and India saw encouraging signs of both in Auckland.

Of course, there was one brief spell where things didn’t quite go to plan. Arshdeep was looking for his fifth wicket in his final and Blair Tickner promptly deposited three deliveries into the stands. New Zealand, who had spent much of the innings struggling with the bat on the ball, were suddenly having a bit of fun.

This brings us back to Gurnoor.

He couldn’t quite stomach the fact that India had allowed the opposition to enjoy those six balls and decided that the New Zealand No. 1 needed a reminder of what the rest of the innings looked like. So he went back to the short ball and sent down a flurry of bouncers at about 90mph, with Tickner on the receiving end.

An ordinary yorker could have done the job, but Gurnoor chose to intimidate.

Right mentality Virat Kohli I must say.

– The end