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

Indian spinner Harpreet Brar has revealed the story behind him bowling in the nets at Edgbaston, Birmingham, ahead of the second Test against England. The left-arm spinner disclosed that Test captain Shubman Gill texted him and that it was easy to come to Birmingham to practice.

Brar, who has played for the Punjab Kings in the IPL, was spotted bowling in the nets to Indian batters despite not being picked in the initial Test squad to face England. The 29-year-old has stunningly not played any red-ball cricket and has featured only in 18 List A and 96 T20 matches.

In a video uploaded by the BCCI, as quoted by India Today, he said:

"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."

The Meerut-born cricketer also said:

"The way he is doing, I feel proud. It's a different feeling. It feels like you are among your own family."

Team India's bowling attack remains under pressure ahead of the second Test in Birmingham. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, and Ravindra Jadeja failed to defend 371 as England romped home with five wickets to spare. As a result, Ben Stokes and co. took a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series.

Harpreet Brar was part of Punjab Kings that reached IPL 2025 final

Harpreet Brar celebrates a wicket. (Image Credits: Getty)

As for Brar, the left-arm spinner was part of Punjab Kings (PBKS) that reached the IPL 2025 final. The 29-year-old finished the tournament with 10 wickets in eight matches at 19 apiece alongside an economy rate of 8.63. Despite a promising tournament, the southpaw didn't play in the decider.

Although the Punjab Kings made it to the final for the first time since the 2014 edition, they lost to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It was also the first IPL title for the Royal Challengers.