India’s tour of Australia in 2020-21 will be remember for a long time. Under strict covid protocols, the Indian team overcame a host of challenges including the absence of several first-choice players to injuries and then beat Australia 2-1 in a four-match series.
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A couple of pace bowling stars were born on the tour including Mohammed Siraj and T Natarajan. While Siraj’s career has since grown from strength to strength, Natarajan hasn’t been able to build on the early success.
In fact, the left-arm pacer’s red-ball career has come to a stall thanks to his unfortunate tryst with injuries and his Test debut against Australia in Brisbane remains his last first-class game.
2024 though began with a lot of promise. He was impressive in IPL, playing a crucial role in his franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad making it to the final.
Then in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, he took 12 wickets for Tiruppur Tamizhans as they made it to the playoffs. However, he hasn’t been able to make his international return with the emergence of other bright prospects.
His dodgy fitness history could has also played a major role in the Indian team management not considering him for international assignments including the recent T20 World Cup despite his IPL form.
Additionally, Natarajan wasn’t picked in any of the four squads for the revamped Duleep Trophy that starts in the first week of September. Top India cricketers will be in action during the red-ball competition aiming to impress the selectors ahead of the Bangladesh Test series.
India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has pointed out that unless Natarajan starts playing red-ball cricket at the domestic level, it will be hard for him to make a return to national colours.
“I feel Natarajan is a fantastic white-ball bowler. He did well in IPL this year. His last first-class match was Australia vs India at Brisbane January 15th in 2021. He has not put himself on the park for the last three years,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“He is broken down when he’s picked and he is not played. We are backing him a lot. I like Natarajan a lot. He is a very good guy. But, just for the sake of it, I won’t say it today. If Natarajan played red-ball cricket and made it to Tamil Nadu, I will definitely say that he should play there,” he added.
So far, the 33-year-old, who represents Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, has played 21 FC matches and taken 67 wickets in them at an average of 27.59.
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