Former Sri Lanka pacer Farveez Maharoof believes Gurnoor Brar might present India with a much-needed edge within the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Forward of the primary Check between India and Sri Lanka in Galle, Maharoof backed the younger Punjab speedster to make his Check debut later this week. The Shubman Gill-led facet has odds stacked towards them, and the facet should win seven of their remaining 9 Assessments to have any probability of creating it to the World Check Championship (WTC) ultimate.
The guests have been affected by accidents, with Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana all dominated out of the sequence. Washington Sundar can also be anticipated to play no half within the two-Check contest.
Mohammed Siraj is predicted to spearhead India’s fast-bowling unit, however consideration has more and more turned in the direction of Brar after his stable efficiency within the three-day warm-up match towards SLC XI. The 26-year-old is within the operating to play forward of Prasidh Krishna.
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“I actually like Gurnoor Brar. I believe he might be the X-factor. He has the bounce, the tempo and the combating spirit. He might be nasty,” Maharoof mentioned in a media interplay organized by the Sony Sports activities Community.
“If you happen to watched the warm-up sport, among the deliveries he bowled to batters who’re within the Check squad made them fairly uneasy, and he even hit a few gamers on the physique. If I have been within the Indian assume tank, I might be tempted to present Gurnoor a go. I do know he has solely performed white-ball cricket for India, however he brings that X-factor. Briefly, burst spells, while you need to break a batter’s rhythm, he is usually a deadly weapon,” he added.
Brar not too long ago made his ODI debut towards Afghanistan and has claimed 11 wickets from six appearances within the format. He’s additionally effectively outfitted with the situations in Galle as featured in India A’s tour to Sri Lanka final month, selecting up a 10-wicket haul.
‘Reverse swing’
Nevertheless, Maharoof additionally believes that the Indian camp would miss Bumrah dearly, as he can exploit reverse swing and has a knack for taking the pitch out of the equation.
The previous Sri Lanka pacer added that Siraj is a stable choice with the ball, however he’s nowhere shut, relating to Bumrah’s potential.
“The flexibility to reverse-swing the ball, particularly with the older ball, is one thing Bumrah brings, and that’s going to be a large miss for India,” mentioned Maharoof.
“That’s the place I believe they might lack some wicket-taking potential. Mohammed Siraj is an efficient bowler, with all due respect to him, however while you examine the 2 quick bowlers, there’s a little bit of a distinction,” he added.
