The year 2021 has been a roller coaster ride for Tamil Nadu bowler T Natarajan. It all started with Natarajan making his way into the Sunrisers Hyderabad line up ahead of fellow teammate Khaleel Ahmed. He went on to prove his class in the lucrative league with his deadly yorkers and established himself as one of the best finds of IPL 2020. The bowler grabbed 16 wickets in the campaign and also featured among the top 10 wicket-takers of the tournament.
To add to his joy, Natarajan became a father while he was busy playing the IPL playoffs in the UAE.
The dream run continued for the 29-year-old when he got his maiden India call-up during India’s tour to Australia. He lived up to the expectations once again by picking up eight wickets in the white-ball leg of the series.
And now, Natarajan finds himself on the brink of making his Test debut after being added to the squad as a replacement for the injured Umesh Yadav. He will be a part of the bunch for the last two Tests in Sydney and Brisbane, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a release on Friday.
“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named T Natarajan as Yadav’s replacement. Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Shardul Thakur was added to the Test squad as Mohammed Shami’s replacement after the senior fast bowler suffered a hairline fracture in his right forearm,” the release said.
NEWS: T Natarajan to replace Umesh Yadav in India’s Test squad. #TeamIndia #AUSvIND
Details 👉 https://t.co/JeZLOQaER3 pic.twitter.com/G9oXK5MQUE
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 1, 2021
It has been a truly remarkable journey for T Natarajan who has played 20 first-class games for Tamil Nadu. From being just a net bowler during India’s campaign down under, he is now ready to feature in his first match in the traditional format.