India squad for Afghanistan series: From Shubman Gill to Shikhar Dhawan, Gurnoor Brar’s fan club keeps growing

NEW DELHI: At 180cm tall, Gurnoor Brar not only bowls fast, but bowls from a position most batsmen are not prepared to deal with. It’s the bounce he gets – alarming and at speeds north of 145km/h – that sets him apart from other domestic Indian pacers. On Tuesday, when the selectors announced their squads for the Afghanistan series, the 25-year-old Brar received his first call-up to both the Test and ODI squads. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar was brief about his selection.“We’ve seen a lot of promise with Gurnoor over the last season and a half. He’s a tall guy who can mix pace,” Agarkar said. The story of how Brar got here has several chapters, and in most of them, someone more famous first noticed him.First up is Shubman Gill, the current captain of the Indian Test and ODI side. Their familiarity goes back to U-19 cricket and then the Katoch Shield (Punjab’s multi-day inter-district tournament).“I used to bowl to him from our U-19,” recalled Brar, who hails from Kheo Wali village in Punjab’s Sri Muktsar Sahib district. “He saw me bowling and helped me get into the district team. I played for Mohali and then got selected for the Punjab U-23 team.”Then came Shikhar Dhawan. The former India opener, during his time as captain of IPL side Punjab Kings, came across Brar in the nets and came up with a candid assessment that the lad is the one. And then most recently Ashish Nehra. Gujarat Titans paid Rs 1.3 crore for Brar in the 2025 IPL auction and Nehra – the head coach of the franchise – started working with him. “It’s always been a dream to play Tests for India. Nothing compares to the size of this format. I try to play to my strengths. I keep it simple. I hit a hard length, push it away and let the rest bounce that I get,” Brar said.A regular in the India ‘A’ set-up since September 2025, Gurnoor has 52 wickets in 18 first-class outings. But the most telling detail that separates Brar from just a good domestic bowler who happens to be tall was his summons to the Chepauk nets before India’s home Test against Bangladesh last year. The team management wanted someone who could emulate what Nahid Rana does – a steep bounce from a tall frame. Brar came in and made some of India’s best batsmen uncomfortable.