(AP Photo)
India’s tour of Australia in 2020-21 will be remembered for years to come. Despite strict COVID-19 protocols and numerous challenges, including injuries to key players, the Indian team triumphed 2-1 in the four-match series.
The tour saw the rise of pace bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and T Natarajan. While Siraj has continued to thrive, Natarajan has struggled to build on his early success due to recurring injuries. His Test debut in Brisbane remains his last first-class appearance.
The start of 2024 looked promising for Natarajan, with a standout performance in the IPL, helping Sunrisers Hyderabad reach the final. He also took 12 wickets for Tiruppur Tamizhans in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, leading them to the playoffs. Despite these achievements, he has yet to return to international cricket due to the emergence of other promising players.
Natarajan’s ongoing fitness issues likely influenced the Indian team management’s decision to overlook him for international duties, including the recent T20 World Cup, despite his strong IPL performances.
Moreover, Natarajan was not selected for any of the four squads for the revamped Duleep Trophy, starting in early September. This red-ball competition will see top Indian cricketers competing to catch the selectors’ eye before the Bangladesh Test series.
Ravichandran Ashwin has emphasized that Natarajan needs to play red-ball cricket domestically to have a chance of returning to the national team.
“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
To date, the 33-year-old, who plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, has appeared in 21 first-class matches and has claimed 67 wickets at an average of 27.59.
