Harpreet Brar, who impressed with his left-arm spin for Punjab Kings during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, was seen bowling at India’s training session in Birmingham ahead of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, scheduled to start on July 2.
The 29-year-old was brought in as a guest net bowler, with it later being revealed that he was asked to join the team by India’s captain, Shubman Gill, who also hails from Punjab.
The excitement began on June 28 when Brar was spotted bowling to Indian batters during the nets. Clad in unofficial training gear, it quickly became obvious that he was not a part of the official squad, but had been brought in for practice purposes. This led to speculation regarding India’s spin strategy for the upcoming Test, especially following their defeat at Headingley.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video from the session, where Brar mentioned that he was in Swindon, his wife’s hometown, when he received a message from the Indian captain, asking him to join the team’s training in Birmingham the next day.
“My wife is from Swindon, which is just a 1 to 1.5-hour drive from Birmingham. I was speaking with Shubman (Gill), and he messaged me yesterday. So, I decided to head over to Birmingham and join the practice,” Brar explained in the BCCI video.
Harpreet Brar has been spotted at the Indian nets at Edgbaston today… pic.twitter.com/CIcOWZPybQ
— Sandipan Banerjee (@im_sandipan) June 28, 2025
Alongside Brar, Chandigarh pacer Jagjit Singh Sandhu joined India’s nets as a guest bowler, highlighting the team’s focus on preparing for the upcoming Test.
India’s bowling attack faces scrutiny ahead of Edgbaston Test. While Bumrah claimed five wickets in Leeds, his impact faded in the second innings as England chased down 371. The pace attack lacked consistency, and Jadeja took just one wicket across both innings.
This poor performance has led to speculation about changes, with Kuldeep Yadav likely to play in the second game. Bumrah’s availability is also in question, as he may miss one or two matches in the five-Test series due to workload management.
