The new skipper asked them to join India's practice session.
During India’s practice for the second Test against England in Birmingham, there was a sense of reunion in the air. The net sessions were not just filled with focus and energy, but with nostalgia too. The presence of Punjab bowlers, a left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar and right-arm pacer Jagjit Singh Sandhu, made the net session special. Brar, who plays for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sandhu, a lesser-known identity but a renowned name in domestic cricket, gave a home feeling to Indian players away from the country.
“You come to a foreign country and you see familiar faces. So you can enjoy it together,” said India pacer Arshdeep Singh in a video released by BCCI.
The PBKS spinner revealed that he got a text from the skipper, Shubman Gill. Since Brar was staying only a couple of hours away from Birmingham, he was asked to join the team. However, since he’s not a part of the squad, he was not wearing the official Test gear.
MAL
55/0
HKG
52/4
WI
–
AUS
–
RWA
157/5
ML
158/1
Malawi beat Rwanda by 9 wickets
TBC
–
TBC
–
ROM
178/6
LUX
133/10
Romania won by 45 runs
HUN
168/9
AUST
169/6
Austria beat Hungary by 4 wickets
AUST
245/7
LUX
179/5
Austria beat Luxembourg by 66 runs
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
ALZ
88/10
JIHCC
163/4
Jinnah CC Stockholm beat Alby Zalmi by 75 runs
RPH
123/6
MAR
150/4
Marsta CC beat Rising Phoenix by 27 runs
JIHCC
153/9
ALZ
168/4
Alby Zalmi CC beat Jinnah CC by 15 runs
RPH
166/4
JIHCC
78/10
Rising Phoenix beat Jinnah CC by 88 runs
ALZ
68/2
RPH
99/7
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
BOT-W
143/6
MWW-W
78/10
Botswana Women beat Malawi Women by 65 runs
EWW-W
40/10
LSN-W
88/9
Lesotho Women beat Eswatini Women by 48 runs
RWA-W
135/7
SLO-W
84/10
Rwanda Women beat Sierra Leone Women by 51 runs
CW-W
88/8
MZW-W
87/8
Cameroon Women beat Mozambique Women by 2 wickets
GUJCC
–
SUL
–
CHK
–
TCC
–
FRC
122/4
KLG
108/6
Fatemi Resources Cricket Club beat KL Gladiators by 14 runs
JBK
80/4
SWCL
106/5
Sky Warriors Cricket Club beat JB Kings by 26 runs
UTC
78/4
MXC
80/2
Maxx Cricket Club beat Utkal Cricket Club by 8 wickets
MKP
75/4
MBMS
73/10
MR KB Putrajaya beat MB Malik Sports UMZ by 6 wickets
FRC
–
MXC
–
JBK
–
MBMS
–
UTC
–
KLG
–
MKP
–
SWCL
–
UAE
141/5
NIG
88/10
United Arab Emirates beat Nigeria by 53 runs
KNY
126/6
NBA
123/2
Kenya beat Namibia A by 3 runs
KNY
–
NIG
–
UAE
–
UGA
–
VMK
–
MMS
–
MAK
154/9
BDS
155/4
Boost Defenders beat Mis Ainak Knights by 6 wickets
ASS
174/4
SGT
173/6
Amo Sharks beat Speen Ghar Tigers by 6 wickets
WIU19-W
11/1
USAU19-W
66/9
WIU19-W
–
USAU19-W
–
TBLZ-W
–
BRB-W
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
Match Cancelled
SUR-W
–
TBC
–
IAC
203/4
AAC
207/6
Australia Champions beat India Champions by 4 wickets
PNC
95/1
WIC
–
SAC
–
AAC
–
IAC
–
EDC
–
NZ
180/5
SA
92/1
IRE-W
288/9
ZIM-W
182/8
The left-arm seamer failed to hide his emotions, seeing Jagjit Sandhu, his age-group cricket senior. Their bond goes back to Arshdeep’s under-16 days, when he used to idolise his senior, who played for Punjab’s under-19 team.
Arshdeep recalled, “When I was young, I used to follow him a lot. Jagjit is his name, and everyone called 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.”
Sandhu used to teach Arshdeep about the basics of fast bowling during the youngster’s early days. He also has old connections with most of the players in Team India. He has played with India’s captain Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, pacer Akash Deep, and all-rounder Washington Sunder.
“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; I was in the North Zone. Arshdeep is my junior. When I was 19, he was 16,” Sandhu said.
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Jagjit Singh Sandhu plays for Chandigarh in the domestic circuit. He has taken 138 wickets across all three formats, 82 scalps in First Class, 26 in List A and 30 in T20s. He is yet to play in the Indian Premier League. On the other hand, Brar has played 114 games, including 96 T20s and 18 List A matches, and has taken 87 and 19 wickets respectively. The 29-year-old’s performance was vital in PBKS’ IPL final run. He delivered his best season in IPL 2025, with 10 scalps in eight matches, averaging 19 and an economy of 8.63.
India are yet to win a Test match at Edgbaston. In eight matches played at Edgbaston, India have lost seven, while one Test resulted in a draw. Adding to their woes, India are potentially without their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. If he misses the Test, Arshdeep Singh may receive his maiden cap. Akash Deep is another option for India.
The new skipper, Gill, would be under immense pressure after losing the series opener at Headingley. The second Test will begin on July 2.
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Malaysia won by 10 wickets