Shubman Gill behind Harpreet Brar's surprising appearance during India's training session as captain's 'text' revealed
India's training session ahead of the second Test against England at Edgbaston had a surprise visitor: left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar. The Punjab Kings bowler, who impressed in IPL 2025 as the side reached the final of the season, was spotted bowling to Indian batters in Birmingham, just days before the July 2 clash. While Brar is not part of the official Test squad, he was invited as a guest net bowler at the request of India captain Shubman Gill. Shubman Gill (L) texted Harpreet Brar to train with the Indian Test team(PTI/BCCI)
India endured a tough defeat against England in the opening Test of the series in Leeds. The side had flown with two spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, with another all-rounder in Washington Sundar. Hence, it may be possible that Gill's invitation to Brar was part of a tactical call to have the Indian batters train against spinners.
The BCCI shared a video confirming the circumstances of Brar's appearance. In it, the 29-year-old revealed that he had been staying in Swindon, where his wife is from, when he got a message from Gill.
'My wife is from Swindon. And it's quite close to Birmingham, it's a 1-1.5 hour drive. I was talking to Shubman (Gill). He texted me yesterday, so I said, Okay, let's go and practice here,' Brar said.
Alongside Brar, pacer Jagjit Singh Sandhu from Chandigarh also bowled in the nets, another indicator of India's intention to refine their preparations ahead of the critical second Test. Bowling attack under fire
India's bowling unit is under the spotlight after the Headingley defeat, where England chased down 371 with five wickets in hand. Although Jasprit Bumrah took a five-for in the first innings, he looked less threatening in the second. The supporting pace attack lacked discipline, and Ravindra Jadeja, the lone frontline spinner, managed just a solitary wicket in the match.
The poor returns have prompted discussions around personnel changes. Kuldeep Yadav could be considered to add variety and bite to the spin attack. Further complicating India's plans is Bumrah's fitness workload. As per his management strategy, the India skipper is expected to be rested for one or more matches this series, and Edgbaston could be on that list.
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