Birmingham, July 15 (IANS) India left-arm pacer Gurnoor Brar credited senior fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for helping him adapt to English conditions after the youngster produced a crucial opening spell in India’s six-wicket victory over England in the first ODI at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Gurnoor struck twice in the same over to remove England openers Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell, triggering a collapse that saw the hosts slump from 61 without loss to 80/5. England eventually recovered to 258 through Joe Root’s unbeaten 76 and Liam Dawson’s 68, but India chased down the target in 45.2 overs thanks to Shubman Gill’s 80 before retirement hurt and an unbeaten 102-run fifth-wicket stand between Axar Patel (57 not out) and Washington Sundar (52 not out).

Reflecting on his performance, Gurnoor said Bumrah’s guidance during the training sessions before the match played a significant role in his success.

“I had heard that it was a lot of fun to play cricket in England, so I experienced it today, and it felt very good. During the two practice days, Jasprit bhai was bowling, and I asked him how to bowl on these wickets, how the ball behaves here, how the English batters attack, and what areas I should bowl in. He gave me a lot of inputs, which helped me a lot,” Gurnoor said in a video released by BCCI on X.

The 25-year-old added that head coach Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel also encouraged him to trust his strengths and stick to his natural game.

“Both Gautam Sir and Morne Sir told me that what I had done in the Afghanistan series and what comes naturally to me was to keep repeating my lengths and stay consistent. I wasn’t thinking too much. I just backed myself and challenged the batters.”

Gurnoor also revealed that he closely observed Bumrah during practice to understand how to succeed in English conditions.

“I was standing at mid-on while they were bowling and watching how they approached their spells, how the batters played them and how consistent they were with their line and length. They kept telling me ball by ball what I could do, so I just tried to keep hitting those areas.”

The pacer also thanked Bumrah for taking a spectacular boundary catch to dismiss Duckett, who was looking in great touch.

“As soon as the ball went in the air, I thought it would go for six. But it was a brilliant catch. It’s very difficult on the boundary because you don’t know where to keep your feet. He judged it really well and caught it. I want to thank Bumrah for that second wicket.”

–IANS

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