diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/backup/vtctlbackup/backup_utils.go b/go/test/endtoend/backup/vtctlbackup/backup_utils.go
index 7ff9d6b860f..1a333af253b 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/backup/vtctlbackup/backup_utils.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/backup/vtctlbackup/backup_utils.go
@@ -1089,10 +1089,18 @@ func vtctlBackupReplicaNoDestroyNoWrites(t *testing.T, replicaIndex int) (backup
 	return backups
 }
 
+func GetTabletPosition(t *testing.T, tablet *cluster.Vttablet) string {
+	pos, _ := cluster.GetPrimaryPosition(t, *tablet, hostname)
+	return pos
+}
+
 func GetReplicaPosition(t *testing.T, replicaIndex int) string {
 	replica := getReplica(t, replicaIndex)
-	pos, _ := cluster.GetPrimaryPosition(t, *replica, hostname)
-	return pos
+	return GetTabletPosition(t, replica)
+}
+
+func GetPrimaryPosition(t *testing.T) string {
+	return GetTabletPosition(t, primary)
 }
 
 func GetReplicaGtidPurged(t *testing.T, replicaIndex int) string {
@@ -1147,16 +1155,26 @@ func ReadRowsFromReplica(t *testing.T, replicaIndex int) (msgs []string) {
 	return ReadRowsFromTablet(t, getReplica(t, replicaIndex))
 }
 
-// FlushBinaryLogsOnReplica issues `FLUSH BINARY LOGS` <count> times
-func FlushBinaryLogsOnReplica(t *testing.T, replicaIndex int, count int) {
-	replica := getReplica(t, replicaIndex)
+// FlushBinaryLogsOnTablet issues `FLUSH BINARY LOGS` <count> times
+func FlushBinaryLogsOnTablet(t *testing.T, tablet *cluster.Vttablet, count int) {
 	query := "flush binary logs"
 	for i := 0; i < count; i++ {
-		_, err := replica.VttabletProcess.QueryTablet(query, keyspaceName, true)
+		_, err := tablet.VttabletProcess.QueryTablet(query, keyspaceName, true)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 	}
 }
 
+// FlushBinaryLogsOnReplica issues `FLUSH BINARY LOGS` <count> times
+func FlushBinaryLogsOnReplica(t *testing.T, replicaIndex int, count int) {
+	replica := getReplica(t, replicaIndex)
+	FlushBinaryLogsOnTablet(t, replica, count)
+}
+
+// FlushBinaryLogsOnPrimary issues `FLUSH BINARY LOGS` <count> times
+func FlushBinaryLogsOnPrimary(t *testing.T, count int) {
+	FlushBinaryLogsOnTablet(t, primary, count)
+}
+
 // FlushAndPurgeBinaryLogsOnReplica intentionally loses all existing binary logs. It flushes into a new binary log
 // and immediately purges all previous logs.
 // This is used to lose information.
diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/backup/vtctlbackup/pitr_test_framework.go b/go/test/endtoend/backup/vtctlbackup/pitr_test_framework.go
index ddeb43c7dd7..860d0b54c7a 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/backup/vtctlbackup/pitr_test_framework.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/backup/vtctlbackup/pitr_test_framework.go
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/mysql/replication"
-
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/test/endtoend/cluster"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/mysqlctl"
 )
@@ -61,10 +60,10 @@ type testedBackupTimestampInfo struct {
 func waitForReplica(t *testing.T, replicaIndex int) {
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 10*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()
-	pMsgs := ReadRowsFromPrimary(t)
 	for {
-		rMsgs := ReadRowsFromReplica(t, replicaIndex)
-		if len(pMsgs) == len(rMsgs) {
+		primaryPos := GetPrimaryPosition(t)
+		replicaPos := GetReplicaPosition(t, replicaIndex)
+		if replicaPos == primaryPos {
 			// success
 			return
 		}
@@ -170,10 +169,10 @@ func ExecTestIncrementalBackupAndRestoreToPos(t *testing.T, tcase *PITRTestCase)
 				if tc.writeBeforeBackup {
 					InsertRowOnPrimary(t, "")
 				}
-				// we wait for 1 second because backups are written to a directory named after the current timestamp,
+				// we wait for >1 second because backups are written to a directory named after the current timestamp,
 				// in 1 second resolution. We want to avoid two backups that have the same pathname. Realistically this
 				// is only ever a problem in this end-to-end test, not in production.
-				// Also, we gie the replica a chance to catch up.
+				// Also, we give the replica a chance to catch up.
 				time.Sleep(postWriteSleepDuration)
 				// randomly flush binary logs 0, 1 or 2 times
 				FlushBinaryLogsOnReplica(t, 0, rand.Intn(3))