India left-arm seamer Gurnoor Brar praised senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah for guiding him in adapting to English conditions after playing a key role in India’s six-wicket win over England in the opening ODI at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Gurnoor made an immediate impact by dismissing England openers Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell in the same over, sparking a dramatic collapse as the hosts slipped from 61/0 to 80/5.
Despite an unbeaten 76 from Joe Root and Liam Dawson’s 68 helping England post 258, India comfortably chased down the target in 45.2 overs. Shubman Gill top-scored with 80 before retiring hurt, while Axar Patel (57 not out) and Washington Sundar (52 not out) stitched together an unbeaten 102-run partnership for the fifth wicket to seal the victory.
Looking back on his performance, Gurnoor said Bumrah’s advice during the pre-match training sessions was instrumental in helping him succeed.
“I had heard that it was a lot of fun to play cricket in England, so I experienced it today, and it felt very good. During the two practice days, Jasprit bhai was bowling, and I asked him how to bowl on these wickets, how the ball behaves here, how the English batters attack, and what areas I should bowl in. He gave me a lot of inputs, which helped me a lot,” Gurnoor said in a video released by BCCI on X.
https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/XMxfGsCg
Gurnoor Credits Gambhir, Morke And Bumrah For Their Support
The 25-year-old also revealed that head coach Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel urged him to back his strengths and remain true to his natural style of bowling.
“Both Gautam Sir and Morne Sir told me that what I had done in the Afghanistan series and what comes naturally to me was to keep repeating my lengths and stay consistent. I wasn’t thinking too much. I just backed myself and challenged the batters.”
Gurnoor Brar also said he carefully watched Bumrah during training to learn how to make the most of the English conditions.
“I was standing at mid-on while they were bowling and watching how they approached their spells, how the batters played them and how consistent they were with their line and length. They kept telling me ball by ball what I could do, so I just tried to keep hitting those areas.”
The left-arm pacer also expressed his gratitude to Bumrah for pulling off a stunning catch near the boundary to dismiss the well-set Ben Duckett.
“As soon as the ball went in the air, I thought it would go for six. But it was a brilliant catch. It’s very difficult on the boundary because you don’t know where to keep your feet. He judged it really well and caught it. I want to thank Bumrah for that second wicket.”
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