Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has showered praise on India’s pace attack ahead of the second ODI against England, reserving special appreciation for young seamer Gurnoor Brar following his impressive performance in the series opener at Edgbaston. India will head into the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday with a 1-0 lead after securing a convincing six-wicket victory in Birmingham.

Although Brar’s figures of 2/61 in nine overs may not fully reflect his impact, Nayar believes the 26-year-old played a decisive role in shifting the momentum in India’s favour. Speaking on JioHotstar’s Game Plan, Abhishek Nayar said Brar’s biggest strength was his fearless attitude rather than the quality of the deliveries that earned him wickets.

“I was very impressed with Gurnoor Brar. I wouldn’t say both wickets came from exceptional deliveries, but his attitude stood out. He conceded plenty of runs in his opening over, yet the aggression and hunger he showed afterwards were outstanding. He kept attacking and never backed away from the contest,” Abhishek Nayar explained.

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The former India all-rounder pointed to Brar’s battle with England opener Ben Duckett as one of the defining moments of the match. According to Nayar, the young pacer’s relentless approach forced Duckett into a mistake, changing the course of the innings.

“There was a genuine contest between Gurnoor Brar and Ben Duckett. That dismissal completely changed the momentum. Had Duckett survived another four or five overs, the game could have looked very different,” he added.

Nayar also highlighted Brar’s wickets of Duckett and Jacob Bethell as the turning point that allowed India to tighten their grip on the contest. With England under pressure, captain Shubman Gill reintroduced Jasprit Bumrah, who struck immediately by dismissing Harry Brook to leave the hosts reeling at 64/3.

The former India assistant coach also had high praise for Prasidh Krishna, calling him one of India’s most dependable ODI bowlers. Nayar credited the Karnataka pacer for maintaining disciplined lengths while also mixing in fuller deliveries to keep England’s batters uncertain.

“Prasidh Krishna has been priceless in this format. What impressed me was that he wasn’t predictable. He consistently hit the ideal six-to-eight-metre length but also bowled fuller to tempt the drive. In helpful conditions, that variation ensures wickets are always around the corner,” Abhishek Nayar said.

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Krishna finished with figures of 2/50 from his 10 overs in the first ODI and continued his impressive record in the format. The right-arm pacer has now claimed 47 wickets in just 26 ODIs at an outstanding average of 25.74, reinforcing his importance to India’s pace attack as the visitors look to seal the series in Cardiff.