ENG vs IND 2025: PBKS spinner Harpreet Brar joins Indian team's practice session in Birmingham on Shubman Gill's invite

Ahead of the second Test against England at Edgbaston, Indian captain Shubman Gill invited Punjab Kings’ left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar to train with the national team. The 29-year-old, coming off a decent IPL 2025 campaign, joined the Indian team as a guest net bowler during their practice session in Birmingham on Saturday.

After a disappointing defeat in the first Test at Headingley, where England chased down a 371-run target, the visitors travelled to Birmingham for the second Test of the five-match series. Meanwhile, Brar revealed that he is currently in the UK visiting his wife’s family in Swindon, and received a text message from Gill just a day before joining the team's practice session.

"My wife is from Swindon. It's very close to Birmingham, it's a 1-1.5 hour drive. I was talking to Shubman (Gill), he texted me yesterday. So I thought, let's go and practice there (Birmingham). The way he (Arshdeep) is doing it, it feels good. I feel very proud. It’s a different feeling. It feels like you are among your own family," Brar said in the BCCI video.

The left-arm spinner wearing a non-official training gear was seen bowling to Gill, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, and the other batters present in the practice session. His Punjab Kings teammate, Arshdeep Singh, revealed that meeting familiar faces in a foreign land feels special. “You come to a foreign country and you see familiar faces. So you can enjoy together," he said.

Should Team India consider Sachin Tendulkar as head coach?

Read More

Should Team India consider Sachin Tendulkar as head coach?

Jagjit Singh on sharing bowling tips to Arshdeep Singh

Joining Brar was another domestic pacer, Jagjit Singh Sandhu from Chandigarh. Jagjit too has revealed his excitement at joining as a guest net bowler. He further mentioned playing age-group cricket with Gill, Pant, Arshdeep, and Washington Sundar. He further shared about giving bowling tips to Arshdeep when the left-armer was 16 years old.  

“So, Rishabh Pant and I played in the Under-19 Zone for One Day. Shubman Gill, when it was my last under-19 season, it was his first. I played with Akash Deep in the Delhi Cup. I played with Washington Sundar in the under-19 zonal games. He was in the South zone, and I was in the North zone. Arshdeep is my junior. When I was 19, he was 16. I used to tell him when he was 16 how to bowl, how to run up, and all that. And even today, he was asking me which ball swing is better, which batter should be bowled from," Jagjit said.

“When I was young, I used to follow him a lot. Jagjit is his name, and everyone calls him Punjabi. At that time, he was playing as a senior, under-19. So, I was in the under-16 zone. Whatever he used to do, I used to try and follow him. I learned a lot from him. And now, he says, Yes, I remember the old days when you were young, when you were new here," Arshdeep responded.