Under pressure following a home series defeat to South Africa, fifth-placed India will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah when they resume Test action with a two-match tour of Sri Lanka. Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof feels rookie pacer Gurnoor Brar could be the ‘X-factor’ in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and says he would be tempted to hand the 26-year-old his Test debut in the two-match series against Sri Lanka, beginning in Galle on Saturday.
Result
“I really like Gurnoor Brar. I think he can be the X-factor. He has the bounce, the pace and the fighting spirit.
At the same time, the former pace-bowling all-rounder said he would be “tempted” to hand Brar a debut, especially because of the tall Punjab pacer’s raw pace, bounce and aggressive approach, particularly the way he troubled several Test squad batters during the warm-up match. He can be nasty,” Maharoof said.
Key Moments
“If I were in the Sri Lankan dressing room, I would be very worried about Rishabh Pant. He is a player who, within half an hour or 45 minutes, can completely change the game. 7, and expects the all-rounder to have a major influence.
The cricketer-turned-commentator further said India are a very strong side, particularly with Ravindra Jadeja batting at No.
Player and Team Performance
“If you watched the warm-up game, some of the deliveries he bowled to batters who are in the Test squad made them quite uneasy, and he even hit a couple of players on the body. The tall Punjab pacer was picked for the Test squad despite having only a handful of First-Class matches and limited IPL experience.
Maharoof says India will miss the now-retired Ravichandran Ashwin and the injured Washington Sundar , who is ruled out of the first Test, as Sri Lankan pitches often produce bounce for spinners rather than just turn.
