Former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori believes T Natarajan is prime for an India comeback after his impressive performances in Indian Premier League 2022 for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
For Vettori, Natarajan offers Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid multiple options in the build-up to the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. The 31-year-old has bagged 15 wickets from just seven matches this IPL season so far, while going for a respectable 8.07 runs per over on good batting surfaces.
“He comes into play because of the skill sets and what he offers at the death. We see time and time again how hard it is to bowl at the death, how hard it is to execute and how really a bowler does it consistently.
We know Natarajan’s got enough of a track record to suggest he can pull it off. He may not force his way into a playing XI, but in a 15-man squad, he gives Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid so many options around their selection.”
the former Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper told ESPNcricinfo.
The Sunrisers have been a team rejuvenated after a disastrous eighth-place finish last season. Kane Williamson and co. have won five matches on the bounce after losing two initial games. While batting has come to the party, the key to this resurgence has been the bowling.
With their four-pronged pace attack, featuring Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik and Natarajan, Hyderabad have managed to keep a wood over their opposition. Natarajan being a key part of this quartet, received big praise from Vettori, who believes his presence has balanced out SRH’s attack and given it more strength and incisiveness.
“We shouldn’t underestimate the fact that T Natarajan coming back into the team and the form that he has shown… He’s been able to balance out that attack in a lot of ways. He’s been able to bowl anywhere, but we know how exceptional he can be at the death,”
said the now-retired Kiwi stalwart.
In SRH’s latest win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 23, Natarajan came up with astonishing figures of three for 10 off his three overs to play his part in a comprehensive nine-wicket victory. Midway through the tournament, the Tamil Nadu pacer has consistently delivered the goods for SRH.
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It is what he exactly needed to re-announce his claim for an India comeback after falling out of the scene due to injuries last year. Natarajan emerged as an unlikely hero from India’s famous tour to Australia last winter, making a decent impression on his T20I, ODI and Test debuts despite coming in only as an injury replacement.
The pacer, however, picked up a knee issue during the same trip, which aggravated further via his presence in the Indian leg of IPL 2021. The pacer had to miss games and subsequently underwent surgery last April. While the surgery was successful, his rehab took time to finish and, even when over, affected his bowling to some extent during the second part of the previous season.
The then head coach Ravi Shastri indicated recently that a fit and performing Natarajan would have been a certainty in their plans for the T20 World Cup in November. Nevertheless, the pacer has the chance to realise that dream this year in Australia.
