Gurnoor Brar took career-best ODI figures of 4/30 in Wellington and won the Player of the Match award
India beat New Zealand by four runs under the DLS method to go 2-0 up in the five-match series
Brar has taken seven wickets in two matches and leads the wicket charts in the series
Gurnoor Brar has emerged as one of India’s biggest bowling positives in the ODI series against New Zealand, helping the visitors take a 2-0 lead in the five-match contest.
The young fast bowler has taken seven wickets in two matches and now leads the wicket charts in the series. His best outing came in Wellington on Saturday, November 7. Brar returned career-best ODI figures of 4/30 as India sealed a four-run win under the DLS method, and the spell also earned him the Player of the Match award.
The turnaround matters because Brar had endured two expensive ODI outings earlier in his career. In New Zealand, though, he has struck back hard in Auckland and Wellington.
Senior Players Helped
Brar credited Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill for helping him through that rough patch. He spoke after India’s second straight win in the post-match press conference.
"I had open nets with Virat and Rohit bhai, and they gave me a lot of inputs. Shubman also guided me," Gurnoor said in the post-match press conference.
He also spoke about the setbacks that tested him earlier. "Matches in Guwahati and Lord's were demotivating, but it was important to learn from those experiences."
Earlier Struggles
Those numbers were harsh. In the ODI against West Indies in Guwahati on September 30, Brar conceded 96 runs in 10 overs and took two wickets.
Before that, he had another difficult day in the ODI against England at Lord’s on July 19. He gave away 97 runs in 10 overs and went wicketless.
Those two spells laid bare his early struggles in ODI cricket. His figures showed a bowler still searching for control and rhythm.
New Zealand Impact
Brar, a 6ft 5in pacer, has looked far sharper in New Zealand and has used his height to better effect.
In the opening ODI at Eden Park in Auckland, he picked up 3/44 in 9.2 overs as India restricted New Zealand to 185.
He was even better in Wellington. Brar bowled with control and used the bounce on offer to trouble New Zealand’s batting. His wickets included Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner, and his spell played a major role in keeping the hosts to 134.
With seven wickets in two matches, Brar has become India’s leading wicket-taker in the series. India next face New Zealand in the third ODI at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday, November 10.
