There is a certain violence when Gurnoor Brar runs up to his bowling mark. The kind of violence that could make even the Dalai Lama, a resident of McLeodganj in Dharamsala, really angry. Standing 6ft 5in tall, the right arm pacer charges in hard and hurls the ball down with severe effort. The impact was so intense that on June 13, the ball needed cosmetic repairs in just the third over of the match.
The violence with which Brar bowls is a key reason why he has been fast-tracked to the Indian cricket team. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar swears by the promise that Gurnoor, a genetic freak in many ways, holds. That was on full display on Saturday as India romped to a seven-wicket win over Afghanistan at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
The opening game of the three-match series was reduced to a 25-over contest due to persistent rain. The match started four hours later than scheduled, with the toss taking place at 5:15 pm instead of 1:00 pm.
The crowd, patiently waiting in the stands, was finally rewarded when the clouds cleared and the SubAir drainage system took over, clearing the water in no time.
With the pitch having remained under covers for nearly 12 hours, the team bowling first was always expected to get movement. Shubman Gill won the toss and unleashed his Gujarat Titans teammate on the Afghan openers.
Running in hard, Gurnoor began with a rapid outswinging full toss to Ibrahim Zadran. The right-hander was beaten for pace and could not get to the ball. Despite getting swing, Gurnoor quickly adjusted his length and started pounding the deck.
As a child, Gurnoor got into fast bowling through tennis ball cricket, partly as a way to stay safe from big hits. A tennis ball bowled at pace gives bowlers a chance on surfaces that offer little natural deviation. On Saturday, the fifth delivery of his international career climbed sharply on Zadran, who could not control the shot. The ball ballooned into the air and ended up in the safe hands of captain Shubman Gill, Gurnoor’s skipper at Gujarat Titans.
Many believe it was Gill who backed Gurnoor’s inclusion in the Indian side. It was also Gill who handed him his debut cap before the toss. And it was Gill who smiled as the pacer looked up to the sky and thanked God for a wicket earned after years of work.
ARSHDEEP, GURNOOR DOMINATE OPENING SPELL
The most impressive aspect of Gurnoor’s bowling was his pace, consistently hovering between 145 and 150 kph. While not among the absolute quickest in world cricket, Gurnoor brought back memories of India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel, who built a career on hitting the deck hard and extracting bounce from fuller lengths.
Alongside him, Arshdeep Singh swung the ball both ways in the opening spell and unsettled the Afghan batting line up. The visitors slumped to 26/3 in the powerplay as India took complete control in the opening exchanges.
RAHMANULLAH GURBAZ STANDS UP
Things went slightly off script when Rahmanullah Gurbaz decided enough was enough. With wickets falling around him, the Afghan opener took it upon himself to attack.
Anything full was launched back over the bowler’s head. Anything short was cut with disdain. The defining feature of Gurbaz’s innings was his shot selection right from the opening over.
With Gurnoor bowling rockets and making life difficult for everyone else, Gurbaz targeted only one type of delivery from him, short and on the pads. He positioned himself and whipped the hook over the fence. It was this clarity that separated him from everyone else.
While the rest of the innings never really got going, Gurbaz single-handedly kept Afghanistan alive. He cut, pulled and targeted cow corner with authority, scoring against every Indian bowler.
He raced to his hundred in just 48 balls, the fastest by an Afghan batter and the second fastest ODI century against India. Gurbaz was the only batter in the line-up who matched the tempo required in a 25 over game.
Eventually, it took a barrage of yorkers from Nitish Kumar Reddy to dismiss him. Already fortunate twice, once when India declined a successful LBW review and once after escaping a run out, Gurbaz could not keep Nitish’s delivery out.
After his dismissal in the 16th over with Afghanistan on 142, the innings collapsed.
In a game where they probably should have reached 220 to 230, Afghanistan were bowled out for just 194. Much of the credit for that late collapse belonged to Gurnoor Brar, who returned to dismiss Rashid Khan and Ziaur Rahman in the closing overs.
India’s second debutant Harsh Dubey was key in wrapping up the innings as well, finishing with 3 wickets, having given away 47 runs from his 5 overs. While his debut was not as impressive as Gurnoor’s, this series will provide Dubey, who is also regarded as a promising young talent in the Indian ecosystem.
SHUBMAN GETS ROHIT OUT
Chasing 195 in a shortened game was never expected to trouble India and Shubman Gill made sure that remained the case. Continuing his excellent form across formats, Gill stayed unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls and guided India home in just 22.5 overs.
Gill started slowly, but his innings turned authoritative after the dismissal of former India captain Rohit Sharma in the sixth over of the chase. Rohit, who was looking to build rhythm amid discussions about his form and fitness, was run out for 16 off 16 after Gill turned down a risky single.
GILL FINISHES CHASE AFTER GAINING FLUENCY
Gill was struggling for fluency at that point, and the injection of Ishan Kishan at No. 3 really eased the pressure on the India captain. Ishan, back in the ODI side and batting at first drop, looked positive during his 34 off 22 balls before being undone by a Rashid Khan googly.
As Ishan took on the Afghanistan bowlers, Gill steadily took control of the chase and eventually finished unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls. The India captain targeted Afghanistan’s celebrated spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi and AM Ghazanfar, collecting the majority of his boundaries against them. One of the standout moments came against his Gujarat Titans teammate Rashid, whom Gill lofted for a clean six over mid wicket.
KL Rahul then finished things off with typical calm. His unbeaten 39 off 19 balls ensured India closed out the chase comfortably, with the highlight being a classy six over extra cover off Zia Ur Rahman.
The teams will now travel to Lucknow for the second game of the series.
– Ends
