A slight tension has built up in the Team India camp following the defeat in the Headingley Test. It was Shubman Gill’s debut Test, and despite a brilliant batting performance from the Indian side, the bowling in the fourth innings let their hopes down.
PBKS’ Harpreet Brar joins Team India in Birmingham
Meanwhile, ahead of the 2nd ENG vs IND Test in Birmingham, something interesting was spotted at India’s training nets. Harpreet Brar, who plays for Punjab Kings in the IPL, was seen bowling to Indian batters. However, Brar has not been selected for the series, nor has he been officially appointed as a net bowler by the BCCI.
Brar was in Swindon at his wife’s hometown which is about 90 miles from Birmingham. He revealed that he was speaking to Shubman Gill yesterday, and it was the Indian Test captain who asked him to join the team as a net bowler. The Punjab Kings spinner then travelled nearly 1.5 hours to reach Birmingham.
“My wife is from Swindon. It’s very close to Birmingham, it’s a 1-1.5 hour drive. I was talking to Shubman (Gill), he texted me yesterday. So I thought let’s go and practice there (Birmingham),” said Harpreet Brar.
Harpreet Brar bowling to Indian batters in the nets. pic.twitter.com/RpRmCXkSSM
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 29, 2025
Left-arm off-spinner Harpreet Brar was seen wearing a black kit, which distinguished him from the Indian players and clearly marked him as a net bowler. The 29-year-old has been representing Punjab Kings since 2019 but is yet to receive a national team call-up. Since both Brar and Shubman Gill play domestic cricket for Punjab, they share a good bond off the field as well.
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Harpreet Brar joining as a net bowler is definitely an interesting move. Usually pacers have a greater impact on English pitches, as seen in the first Test where England’s pacers took 17 Indian wickets. Shoaib Bashir was the only spinner in the English side and he took 3 wickets.
On India’s side, Ravindra Jadeja was the lone spinner but managed just 1 wicket in the entire match. However, there is hope that spin bowlers will also play a role in Birmingham, and reports suggest that Kuldeep Yadav could get a chance in the playing XI.
