T Natarajan: The dream left-arm pacer India had been waiting for
A left-arm fast-medium bowler from Chinnappampatti – about 36 km from Salem, Thangarasu Natarajan emerged as the biggest revelation for the Men in Blue during the white-ball series against Australia. India had a decent outing in the limited-overs format, losing the ODI series and winning the T20I series. During the tour, India managed to find a promising and competent left-arm pacer who can do wonders for the team in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021 at home.
A rare breed
While India has a strong pace attack in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they have been lacking the presence of a left-arm seamer in the line-up who can swing the ball both ways with control and pace. The selectors’ search might end on T Natarajan who has been showing great character and discipline on the ongoing Australian tour and can be a vital asset for the team in the future.
Natarajan’s sudden rise to prominence in the international circuit is nothing less than a dream come true. The seamer came into the limelight after a stunning performance in the 13th edition of the IPL in the UAE, where he picked 16 wickets in 16 games at an economy rate of 8.02 and an average of 31.50. One of his major strengths has been the consistent use of the ‘yorker’ delivery – something he employed more than any other bowler in the IPL this year.
Also read: Why does T Natarajan have ‘JP Nattu’ written on his SRH jersey?
But the pacer’s journey to recognition is far from being a fairytale. Coming from an ordinary family, Natarajan had his own share of ups and downs. From being short of money to buy cricket gear to being reported for a suspect bowling action, the youngster faced plenty of obstacles before coming up trumps in the IPL. However, his biggest gateway to success was the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), where he impressed everyone with his bowling. Natarajan is one of the few cricketers to have directly played in the Ranji Trophy, without playing any Under 16, Under 19 or Under 23 cricket.
India call-up
A good run in IPL 2020 earned Natarajan a call-up for the India tour of Australia as a net bowler. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had no plans of adding the pacer in the main limited-overs squad. However, luck was on Natarajan’s side as the axing of spinner Varun Chakravarthy due to an injury meant that the selectors decided to add the pacer to the T20I squad.
This was followed by Natarajan getting added to the ODI squad too just one day before the series commenced as a backup option. The Tamil Nadu-born finally got his ODI cap from skipper Virat Kohli in the final ODI against Australia at Canberra. The pacer had an impressive debut as he claimed Marnus Labuschagne as his maiden international wicket and finished with the figures of 10-1-70-2.
Impressive start to T20I career
After ODIs, Natarajan was also provided a chance to show his skills in the shortest format of the game as he played all the three games against Australia. The 29-year-old managed to impress the who’s who of the cricket fraternity with his tight and disciplined bowling display in T20Is. He had a dream T20I debut, picking three wickets of D’Arcy Short, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc in his first game. Overall, Natarajan ended the first three-match T20I series of his career with six wickets at an economy rate of 6.91. He was arguably the best pacer throughout the T20I series.
Natarajan, you were outstanding this series. To perform brilliantly in difficult conditions on your India debut speaks volumes of your talent and hardwork ? You deserve Man of the Series from my side bhai! Congratulations to #TeamIndia on the win ??? pic.twitter.com/gguk4WIlQD
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) December 8, 2020
Now, Natarajan is all set to shine for India on the big stage as he has the ability to scare the opposition with his toe-crushing pin-point yorkers and bowling parsimonious spells in the middle and death overs. All he needs to do is show consistency game after game.
