Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has supported the young fast bowler Gurnoor Brar following his outstanding performance in the opening ODI against England at Edgbaston on Tuesday, July 14. On his first international match for India, Ben Duckett dismissed Brar for quick runs, but he rebounded excellently with a two-wicket burst that changed the tide entirely in India’s favour.
Duckett smashed Brar for 17 runs in his opening over by hitting four and two sixes off the young pacer’s deliveries. In his third over, Brar dismissed both Jacob Bethell and Duckett after Indian skipper Shubman Gill threw one over to Washington Sundar, letting him to exchange ends.
The towering seamer’s 2 for 61 from nine overs helped the team win by six wickets. “To be honest, I was really impressed with Gurnoor Brar.” Both wickets, I won’t say they were fantastic balls, but the mindset that he exhibited mirrored the hunger he had. In his first over, he scored a bunch of runs. You could see his aggressive intent after that.
He took the ball and hurled it,” Abhishek Nayar remarked on JioStar.
What made Brar’s two-wicket run so crucial for India?
A significant change occurred. Gurnoor dismissed England’s openers, Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell, twice in the same over, causing the hosts to collapse from 61 without loss to 80 for 5. Abhishek Nayar underlined the psychological benefit this produced. “He was at Ben Duckett.
You could see a battle developing between the two of them, which is another reason he played that shot. Gurnoor Brar altered the game’s trajectory. The former assistant coach said that “things would have been very, very different if Ben Duckett had played for four or five more overs.”
Bumrah produced a wonderful relay catch to himself just on the boundary after the English opener scythed to the deep third. The crucial dismissal at the crease and Bethell’s quick exit minutes earlier destroyed England’s powerful opening combination in just three balls.
Thanks to Washington Sundar’s 52 not out and Axar Patel’s unbeaten 57 and four wickets in the first innings, India finished a comfortable chase. The Men in Blue will now attempt to grab a series lead in the second ODI at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday, July 16, while the English team will be hoping to tie the score with a win in the pivotal game.
