'He texted me' - Harpreet Brar's revelation behind bowling in nets at Edgbaston ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Harpreet Brar revealed how he joined Team India in Birmingham and bowled in the nets. The spinner was not in the initial squad for the ongoing 5-match England series. When he appeared during India's practice session, multiple questions arose among cricket fans.

Brar himself revealed, because of Test team captain Shubman Gill, he was able to join the squad. After a heartbreaking loss at Headingley, Team India is now preparing for the second of five tests of the tour, which is scheduled to start on July 2 at Edgbaston.

India's lower-order batting became one of the concerns for the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching brigade after back-to-back collapses in both innings at Leeds. Edgbaston's surface can be slightly spin-friendly, so the addition of Harpreet Brar is sensible.

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'I was talking to Shubman...'

"My wife is from Swindon. And it's quite close to Birmingham; it's a 1-1.5 hour drive. I was talking to Shubman (Gill). He texted me yesterday, so I said, 'Okay, let's go and practice here." Brar revealed how he made his way to the nets. "The way he is doing it, I feel proud. It's a different feeling. It feels like you are among your own family." 

Brar came under the spotlight for Punjab Kings, especially after their surprising run in IPL 2025. The spinner helped his team in crucial moments by taking wickets in middle orders. The 29-year-old finished the tournament with 10 wickets in eight matches with an economy rate of 8.63. Despite these promising numbers in his bag, Brar was not a regular player for the IPL team. Punjab Kings mostly utilized him as a backup option. The spinner was not in the playing combination of the final match of IPL 2025, where PBKS lost against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Only by a 6-run margin did the Shreyas Iyer-led side end the season as the second best of the tournament.