NEW DELHI: At six feet five inches, Gurnur Brar doesn’t just bowl fast, he bowls from places that most batsmen are not prepared to deal with. It’s the bounce he produces—anxious and north of 145 kmph—that sets him apart from other domestic Indian fast bowlers. On Tuesday, when the selectors announced their squads for the Afghanistan series, the 25-year-old Brar got his first call-up to both the Test and ODI squads. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar was brief about his selection.“With Gurnor, we have seen a lot of promise in the last one-and-a-half seasons. He is a tall man who can bowl with pace,” Agarkar said. The story of how Brar got here has many chapters and most of them are the ones the most famous person sees first.is the oldest. Shabman Gulthe current captain of the Indian Test and ODI team. His exposure extended to U-19 cricket and subsequently to the Katoch Shield (Punjab’s multi-day inter-district tournament).“I used to bowl to him from my under-19 days,” recalled Brar, who hails from Kheowali village in Punjab’s Sri Muktsar Sahib district. “He saw me bowling and helped me get into the district team. I used to play for Mohali and then got picked for the Punjab U-23 team.”Then came Shikhar Dhawan. Former India opener, during his time as captain IPL The Punjab Kings side faced Brar in the nets and came away with an honest assessment that the boy was the real thing. And then, more 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 has always been a dream for India to play Tests. There is nothing like the stature of the format. I try to use my strength as much as possible. I keep it simple. I hit a hard length, take it away, and let whatever bounce I get,” Brar said.A regular in the India ‘A’ setup since September 2025, Gurnor has taken 52 wickets in 18 first-class outings. But the most telling detail, which separates Brar from just a good domestic bowler who goes tall, was his summons in the Chepauk nets before India’s home Test against Bangladesh last year. The team management wanted someone who could replicate the feats of Naheed Rana – a tall frame with a vertical bounce. Brar went in and made some of India’s best batsmen nervous.
