Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has opined that Gurnoor Brar was able to trouble the New Zealand batters as he bowled an awkward length. Brar, who is a hit-the-deck bowler, was able to land his deliveries in the corridor of uncertainty in the second ODI against New Zealand at Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Saturday.
The lanky pacer returned with impressive figures of 4-30 in his quota of 10 overs as he played a key role in skittling out New Zealand at 134 in a 47-over match. Brar accounted for Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith and Mitchell Santner.
Brar had also scalped three wickets in the series opener at Eden Park, Auckland.
Aakash Chopra said on Cricinfo, “If India are playing four fast bowlers, he’s the last one to be introduced. It’s a good thing in ODIs that you still have two new balls. So the ball is not that old, but he’s also someone who hits the deck hard, bowls from a fairly decent high-arm action. So the point of release is quite high. He dismissed both Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips with short-pitch deliveries.”
“When you look at it from the batter’s POV, it feels that they are not expecting the ball to finish where it finished. When you look at the length, it does not come across as a ball which is pitched in his half. These are slightly short of good length deliveries, but they are climbing rapidly and awkwardly, and batters are finding it difficult,” the former India batter added.
Chopra was also asked if Brar can make the cut into India’s ODI World Cup. The renowned commentator said India has a plethora of fast bowlers but Brar is putting himself in contention.
“It’s a compelling case, but you also have to bear in mind that there is Prasidh Krishna around. So, in all likelihood, when I am trying to actually put the team on paper, I find one of the two making it eventually, because none of them are capable enough to bat at it.
“When I look at that combination, Arshdeep Singh will pip everyone to the post because he’s a left-armer. Jasprit Bumrah is non-negotiable. We should talk about Siraj at some stage. There’s Harshit Rana and Anshul Kamboj, who can actually bat at eight. So, that’s a very crowded lane, but yes, he’s a part of that crowd. World Cup is still a year away, but he’s making the right noises,” Chopra concluded.
The third ODI between India and New Zealand will be played at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Tuesday.
