Auckland, November 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India pacer Gurnoor Brar credited a quick tactical adjustment and advice from captain Shubman Gill and fellow fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj for his three-wicket haul in the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park.
Brar returned figures of 3-44 as India’s pace attack bowled out New Zealand for 185 in 40.2 overs, setting up a five-wicket victory via the DLS method on Wednesday.
Speaking in a video shared by the BCCI on Thursday, Brar said the conditions at Eden Park suited bowling and that prior practice sessions had helped him understand the surface.
“The atmosphere here is very good for bowling. The wickets are quite good. We had practiced here for four or five days earlier, so the wicket was similar. I just backed my length and my bowling style, and these are the results,” he said.
The tall seamer revealed that conceding a six in his opening over prompted him to alter his approach by pulling back his length. He said the straight boundary was relatively short, so he wanted to make it difficult for batters to hit over square leg and fine leg.
Brar discussed the adjustment with Gill, Arshdeep and Kamboj, who advised him to bowl a hard length to make better use of the bounce generated by his height.
He also praised the collective effort of India’s four-pronged pace attack. Arshdeep claimed four wickets for 70 runs, while Kamboj took two wickets for 22 runs in his 10 overs. Auqib Nabi also contributed with a disciplined spell.
Kamboj, who was named Player of the Match, said he had focused on reading the conditions and executing the right lengths rather than dwelling on his previous ODI outing, in which he conceded 82 runs without taking a wicket on debut against the West Indies.
The Haryana pacer said his mindset had become more attacking since making his Test debut against England in Manchester in 2025. He added that one disappointing performance could not define a player’s career after years of hard work.
India chased the revised target of 143 in 32 overs, reaching 144 for five in 22.4 overs, with Virat Kohli scoring 74 off 51 balls. India lead the five-match series 1-0, with the second ODI scheduled in Wellington on Saturday.
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