As a fast bowler, Brar is a work in progress. When he got his maiden call-up for India earlier this year, it was more for his attributes than his numbers. With a 6’5″ frame and the ability to hit the deck hard, he can trouble batters with pace and bounce.
In his fledgling career, Brar has already shown glimpses of that potential. He struck in his very first over in international cricket and picked up six wickets in his first two ODIs while consistently touching 145kph. Apart from high pace and extra bounce, what makes him threatening is his close-to-the-stumps line, which gives batters little room to free their arms.
“The first thing is that you need some sympathy and a bit of margin for the bowlers. Often you can’t be hard on them, because sometimes they haven’t bowled as poorly as their figures suggest. Plus, I think you can only bowl in good areas. Besides that, with five fielders inside [the 30-yard circle], two new balls, and the kind of power-hitting there is now, bowlers don’t really have many options.”
Brar’s coach, Varinder Singh, does not think there is anything wrong with his bowling either. “Any player who starts playing for India takes some time to settle, so it’s just that,” Varinder told Cricinfo. “We have worked a lot in the last five years; now it’s more about execution.”
India, meanwhile, are in an experimental phase, looking to try out as many things as possible. That includes having Brar bowl in the powerplay and at the death, not just in his preferred middle overs.
“I know people will talk about his analysis,” Gambhir said. “You can have him bowl in the middle overs, make him bowl defensively and get good stats. But the more he bowls in tough conditions, in tough situations, the better it is for Indian cricket.”
In the first two ODIs against West Indies, Brar bowled more than half of his overs in those high-pressure phases. He showed he can swing the new ball and bowl cutters with the older one. In fact, his economy rate at the death is an impressive 6.60.
After playing the first two ODIs in hot and humid conditions, both India and West Indies cancelled their practice sessions before the third game. They will turn up straight on match day.
Naman Dhir, a local lad like Brar, said if it is a typical New Chandigarh pitch, 290-300 should be a good total. If that is the case, it will be a big relief not only for Brar but for all bowlers. Moreover, Brar has fond memories of his home ground.
Eventually, Madhya Pradesh managed to eke out a draw, but Punjab collected three points, thanks to their first-innings lead, and Brar a cherished memory.
On Saturday, as New Chandigarh becomes India’s latest venue to host a men’s ODI, he will have a chance to make new ones.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at Cricinfo
