Aiming to make a comeback in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy after losing the first Test in Leeds, the Indian team has kick-started their preparation for the second Test, which will take place from Wednesday (July 2) at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, with some new faces joining the team in the nets.

Harpreet Brar, who has made himself a famous name in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his exploits for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the last five seasons. Brar was spotted in the Indian team nets and has revealed the story behind his surprise inclusion in the Indian team.

The 29-year-old stated that his wife is from England, and her hometown, Swindon, is just 1-1.5 hours away from Birmingham. Brar revealed that he was talking to Indian captain Shubman Gill, who messaged him to join the team and help them with practice.

“My wife is from here, from Swindon. So, 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. Let’ practise there," said Brar in a video posted by BCCI.TV. ,

It is worth noting that Brar and Gill come from the same state (Punjab) and have shared the dressing room for several years in domestic cricket. Arshdeep Singh, who is also from Punjab and a teammate of Brar at Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is part of the Indian team.

Alongside Brar, Jagjit Singh Sandhu, has joined the Indian team in the nets. Sandhu is a right-arm pacer and revealed that he was in Birmingham to play cricket and was called by the Indian team to help them in training. While Sandhu currently plays for Chandigarh, he previously played for Punjab at the age-group level and has played with several members of the Indian team.

“I play first-class cricket for Chandigarh. I came to Birmingham to play cricket, and then I got to know about this place (of Team India’s training) and then I came here to bowl for the Indian Team for net practise. 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," said Sandhu.

"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," Arshdeep Singh fondly recalled sharing the dressing room with Jagjit.

It is worth pointing out that neither Brar nor Sandhu has been added to the Indian squad for the England series but are only helping the team in training as net bowlers.