India's decision to field a set of fringe bowlers in the ODI series against Afghanistan, forced by the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Axar Patel after a hectic IPL season, has yielded promising results. The troika of Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav and Harsh Dubey, though inconsistent at times as expected from debutants, displayed enough potential to excite the team management.
Brar's sharp pace and bounce
Brar was the most impressive of the lot, bowling with sharp pace and steep bounce to bag seven wickets in the series. His ability to hit the deck hard and generate steep bounce troubled the Afghan batters, including Ibrahim Zadran, who was hit on the helmet. Shubman Gill praised the variety Brar brings to the attack, saying, "Obviously, keep using those bouncers because that gives us the opportunity to take wickets."
Prasidh Krishna's adaptability
Prasidh Krishna offered the most telling specimen for Gill's observation about assessing conditions. The Karnataka pacer, who naturally bowls hard lengths, sussed up the red-soil pitch at Chepauk and opted for a fuller, closer-to-the-stumps length. He was rewarded with four wickets inside the first 10 overs, three of them catches at first slip after Afghan batters fell for the temptation to drive. He finished with a five-wicket haul and won the Player of the Match award.
Gill, who leads Prasidh at Gujarat Titans, advised him to remain flexible in his game plans. "It's about being flexible, there is not a certain role. We encourage bowlers to go all out whether they are bowling with the new ball or with the first change." In the series, Prasidh was used with the new ball upfront, unlike in IPL 2026 where he generally bowled in the middle overs with the older ball.
Depth for 2027 World Cup
The performance of Prasidh and Brar has given India a shot in the arm on the road to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, where hit-the-deck bowlers will be crucial. Gill emphasized the importance of building a pool of tall, fast bowlers. "We are trying to create as many opportunities as we can. Playing Brar, someone like Prasidh, even Harshit, tall, fast bowlers, they offer a little bit more to us."
He also stressed the need to give confidence to players like Nitish Reddy. "Even if we know that we have got maybe better bowlers for that condition, it's important for us, for players like that, to have some confidence going into the World Cup."
Gill on situational awareness
Gill highlighted the bowlers' situational awareness and ability to adhere to team strategies. "It's about assessing the wicket. There are different lengths on different wickets that hit the top of the stump. On a wicket like this (red-soil at Chepauk), maybe you have to be a little bit further. When you are playing on a black soil pitch, you have to be a little bit more towards the length side."
The Indian skipper also noted the importance of giving short spells to bowlers like Prasidh and Brar. "Give them 3-4 overs, tell them to bowl their heart out, bowl as fast as they can."
