ODI series: Tall and fiery, Gurnoor makes his case for 2027 World Cup
A career-best four for 30 earns the lanky Punjab pacer Player of the Match at rain-hit Wellington
It’s still early to say whether Gurnoor Brar will be on the flight to South Africa for the 2027 ICC World Cup, but the Punjab paceman is certainly making a strong case for it. The wickets in New Zealand, with the extra bounce and carry, are proving to be an ally for his kind of bowling as Gurnoor turned up with a Player of the Match award in the second ODI in Wellington on Saturday.
A 10-2-30-4 haul is a just reward for the 25-year-old, following up on his three for 44 in Auckland as the Men in Blue escaped to a four-run win under the Duckworth Lewis method—taking a crucial 2-0 lead in the series. What’s even more striking is the manner in which the new-look pace attack of Arshdeep-Nabi-Brar-Kamboj had been hunting in a pack in the first two matches, more than making up for the absence of regulars like Mohammed Siraj, Harishit Rana or a Prasiddh Krishna.
The overcast conditions were tailormade for the new ball bowlers as India skipper Shubman Gill had no hesitation in putting the hosts in to bat after winning the toss. The pace troika, led by Arshdeep, were on the money and Gurnoor wreaked havoc with his double strike in the 20th over when he bounced out two of their most experienced Kiwi customers—Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips off successive short balls.
After a brief fightback from the hosts, Gurnoor returned to claim the big wicket of Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner, who edged one to KL Rahul behind the stumps. He later picked up Nathan Smith to secure his maiden four-wicket haul in ODI cricket, cementing the second-best bowling figures by an Indian pacer on New Zealand soil.
The best bowling figures by an Indian pacer in New Zealand is Javagal Srinath’s 4/23 in Auckland in 2003. In 11 ODIs, the 26-year-old has taken 21 wickets at an average of 31.19 with best figures of 4/30 while he is also the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series.
Commenting on his X handle, former West Indies pace great and TV pundit Ian Bishop commented: ‘’Days like these that remind us how bowlers come into their own in white ball cricket when there is a bit of help in the pitch; and why it’s important to give fast bowlers like Gurnoor Brar as long a rope as possible to find out if they can be the player you are looking for.’’
Going by Gill’s comments ahead of the series, the Indian camp are looking for the ilk of Gurnoor who at six feet plus, can hit the deck hard and pose a few questions on South African conditions. Gurnoor, who enjoys his captain’s backing for being from the same state and now IPL franchise Gujarat Titans, has begun well but there is still a year to go and plenty of cricket to be played—with one hoping he stays injury-free.
The 2024-25 domestic season proved to be the turning point in Gurnoor’s career when he finished as Punjab’s leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy, claiming 26 wickets in seven matches with disciplined spells and consistent control.
The discipline in red ball cricket also helped Gurnoor in in white-ball cricket as in the 2024 Sher-E-Punjab T20 League, he topped the wicket-taking charts with 22 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 14 and an economy rate of 7.33. Apart from his bowling, Brar has also contributed useful runs in the lower order as during a Ranji match against J&K in 2023, he scored a crucial 64 and added a 100-run partnership with Siddharth Kaul to guide Punjab to a four-wicket win.