Gurnoor Brar could be India’s X-factor in Bumrah’s absence, says Maharoof

Former Sri Lanka allrounder Farveez Maharoof said Gurnoor Brar could be India’s X-factor in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence ahead of the two-match Test series in Galle starting on Saturday, and added he would be tempted to hand the 26-year-old his Test debut.

India, fifth in the World Test Championship context after a home series defeat to South Africa, will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the tour, with Mohammed Siraj expected to lead the seam attack; there is speculation whether Brar could replace Prasidh Krishna, who played in the last Test against Afghanistan. Brar was picked for the Test squad despite having only a handful of First-Class matches and limited IPL experience; he made his ODI debut against Afghanistan and has taken 11 wickets in six matches. Brar also featured on India A’s recent tour to Sri Lanka, where he took a 10-wicket haul in the first match at Galle.

Maharoof warned India would miss Bumrah’s ability to reverse the older ball, saying: "The ability to reverse-swing the ball, especially with the older ball, is something Bumrah brings, and that is going to be a massive miss for India," Maharoof replied to a PTI query in a virtual media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network. He added: "Mohammed Siraj is a good bowler, with all due respect to him, but when you compare the two fast bowlers, there is a bit of a difference."

On Brar, Maharoof offered strong praise and said he could disrupt Test batters: "I really like Gurnoor Brar. I think he can be the X-factor. He has the bounce, the pace and the fighting spirit. He can be nasty," Maharoof said. He pointed to the warm-up contest as evidence, noting: "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.

"If I were in the Indian think tank, I would be tempted to give Gurnoor a go. I know he has only played white-ball cricket for India, but he brings that X-factor. In short, burst spells, when you want to break a batter’s rhythm, he can be a lethal weapon."

Maharoof said India would also miss now retired Ravichandran Ashwin and the injured Washington Sundar, who is ruled out of the first Test, and identified Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav as the first-choice spin options with a debate over the third spinner. He noted the candidates: Manav Suthar, who claimed seven wickets on his debut against Afghanistan, and Saransh Jain, the uncapped offspinner who toured Sri Lanka with India A and claimed seven wickets while also making an unbeaten 70 batting at No. 7. "If you ask me, I would be tempted to go with the two left-arm spinners as well as Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep is a frontrunner to start in Galle, especially considering his record and the number of wickets he took in the last Test against Afghanistan.

"I see three spinners for India. Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and either Suthar or Jain. Ideally, you would like an off-spinner for variation, but I would not be surprised if Manav Suthar plays because his ability to get bounce off the surface could be very handy in Galle." He added: "Overall, looking at India's bowling line-up, it is quite competitive, with two seamers and three spinners."

Maharoof highlighted Rishabh Pant as a potential game-changer despite recent inconsistency, reporting Pant scored 2 and 28 in the warm-up game that India won by six wickets in Colombo. "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. We have seen him do it in the past. He has that X-factor and has been given the licence to play his natural game. He is going to face a lot of left-arm spin and off-spin. Sri Lanka will surely go with two frontline spinners as well as two part-timers, but the way Pant scores runs, with his unorthodox style, he is going to be dangerous."

Maharoof predicted a 1-1 series draw and identified Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya and Asitha Fernando as key threats, saying: "The biggest challenge for Indian batters will certainly be the spinners. I certainly feel Prabath Jayasuriya will be the biggest challenge for the Indian batters. He is our main weapon, while Asitha Fernando will be important with the fast bowling." He added: "We have nicknamed him the 'King of Galle' because of the number of wickets he has taken there.

"He knows how to bowl with the wind, and the wind is going to be a major factor in Galle because of the drift the spinners can generate. It is going to be a crosswind, so the Indian spinners will have to adapt quickly to that factor. How quickly they adjust to the wind is going to be massive," added Maharoof, who has played 22 Tests and 109 ODIs and 8 T20Is for Sri Lanka.

The India tour of Sri Lanka will be live telecast on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV.