India A pacer Gurnoor Brar breathed fire against Sri Lanka A on Day 2 of the 2nd unofficial Test in Galle, finishing with four wickets to his name. The hosts, who resumed their innings at 288/5 at the start of play on Day 2, were bowled out for 366 runs within session 1, with the pacer from Punjab adding three more wickets to his tally. With his performance in the 1st innings, Brar has thrown his hat in the ring to the considered for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, especially since the India A tour serves as an audition stage for these upcoming talents.
Gurnoor Brar bags 4-fer against Sri Lanka A
Brar’s first victim was Pawantha Weerasinghe, as the Sri Lanka A batter was dismissed for 39 runs on Day 1 in the 24th over. While he remained wicketless for the rest of the day, it looked like he had reserved his best for Day 2. On Friday, Gurnoor first struck in the 92nd over to get rid of Chamika Gunasekara for just 13 runs as the batter was caught behind by India A captain Dhruv Jurel.
Next, Brar provided a vital breakthrough for India A in the 110th over as he got rid of the dangerous Sri Lanka A captain Sahan Arachchige (127), bringing the curtains down on his outstanding knock. The pacer then hammered the final nail in the coffin two deliveries later has he bowled over tailender Asanka Manoj (4). Gurnoor Brar finished with figures of 4/77 from his 22 overs.
Following a prolific domestic season, Brar earned his maiden Team India call-up for the one-off Test against Afghanistan. However, he did not make his debut in that game. Instead, he featured in the three-match ODI series that followed where he picked up 7 wickets. Gurnoor’s impactful performance in the Sri Lanka A vs India A 2nd unofficial Test puts him in a position to be considered for the two-match series against Sri Lanka in August, especially since he will be familiar with the conditions.
Brar made his first-class debut back in 2022 and since then has taken 56 wickets in the red-ball format from 19 games. The four-wicket haul against SL-A on Friday is his fourth in FC cricket. While India are expected to pick veterans Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as the go-to pacers for the series against SL, Brar could be considered as a back-up option.
Cricket
IND vs ENG: India travel to Nottingham with Sanju Samson & Tilak Varma questions and untested bowling
