Gurnoor Brar Lands Maiden India Test Call-Up For Afghanistan
gurnoor brar has been handed his maiden Test call-up by India for next month’s one-off Test against Afghanistan. The Punjab pacer gets the chance after a 2024-25 season that put his name at the front of the queue among domestic quicks.
Brar's Punjab rise
Brar, a tall right-arm pacer born in Punjab, built that case with his 2024-25 Ranji Trophy returns. He finished as Punjab’s leading wicket-taker with 26 wickets in seven matches, including 5 for 14 against Bihar, and ended the campaign with 33 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 25.66 and an economy rate of 3.43.
That is the sort of output selectors reward when they are looking beyond established names. India also handed maiden Test call-ups to Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey for the same one-off Test, making Brar one of three uncapped players brought in for the match.
From Railways to IPL
His route to that point has been steady rather than sudden. Brar made his first-class debut against Railways in 2022, made his List A debut against Goa, and then broke into the IPL with Punjab Kings in 2023, where he debuted against Lucknow Super Giants after the franchise signed him for Rs 20 lakh as Raj Bawa’s replacement.
He also gave Punjab another reminder of his lower-order value in 2023, scoring 64 against Jammu and Kashmir and adding a 100-run partnership with Siddharth Kaul. Before the senior India call-up, he had already spent time in the India A setup, and his path has also included a spell as a net bowler with Mumbai Indians during the 2019 IPL season.
Gujarat Titans and India A
The pace numbers explain why Brar stayed in view. He took 22 wickets in 11 matches in the 2024 Sher-E-Punjab T20 League at an average of 14 and an economy rate of 7.33, then went into the 2025 IPL auction where Gujarat Titans bought him for INR 1.30 crore.
That climb leaves him on the edge of a senior debut with a short runway to the Afghanistan Test. For Brar, the next step is no longer another domestic milepost; it is whether his pace, bounce and movement translate when India finally hand him the ball at Test level.
