From Salem and TNPL, IPL exploits to India cap - The inspirational journey of T Natarajan

T Natarajan was handed his ODI cap by Virat Kohli ahead of the third and final match against Australia in Canberra. The moment was just reward for T Natarajan, who began his journey by showing his ability in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. His magnificent run got him an IPL contract for Kings XI Punjab but he did not utlise his skills well for the franchise. However, his acquisition by Sunrisers Hyderabad changed his fortunes and made him one of the bowlers to watch out for in the near future. (Image credit: Twitter)

Natarajan is considered a legend in Tamil Nadu Tennis bal cricket because he can also be influential. In an Indian Express story, it was revealed that how Natarajan influenced many people to not give up the sport and giving them assurance that there was a future. He made youngsters in his area realise that the first step to recognition is the Tamil Nadu Premier League and if they achieve greater success in that, then the IPL will beckon. He did not have any big facilities in Chinnappampatti, but he honed his skills through sheer hard work and patience. His mother was a daily-wage labourer and it was through these times of struggles that he made his breakthrough in the TNPL, first with Dindigul Dragons and then with Lyca Kovai Kings.

In his first season with Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2017, he came into the limelight after having bowled six yorkers to Abhinav Mukund and Washington Sundar in a TNPL clash. He was purchased for Rs 3 crore but in six games, he had an expensive economy rate of over 9. (Image credit: Twitter)

Natarajan caught the eye of Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling mentor Muttiah Muralitharan and he came to the side in IPL 2018 for Rs 40 lakh. He did not feature in the first two seasons but in 2020, he capitalized on the opportunities. Natarajan was the designated death bowler for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and in 11 games, he picked up 13 wickets at an economy rate of 5.84 and an average of 16. Tamil Nadu lost the final to Karnataka by one run and Natarajan was wicketless in that.

However, he had caught the eye of Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling mentor Muttiah Muralitharan and he came to the side in IPL 2018 for Rs 40 lakh. He did not feature in the first two seasons but in 2020, he capitalized on the opportunities. Natarajan was the designated death bowler for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and in 11 games, he picked up 13 wickets at an economy rate of 5.84 and an average of 16. Tamil Nadu lost the final to Karnataka by one run and Natarajan was wicketless in that. However, his form has continued in IPL 2020 and with two good performances, his journey is on an upward trend. (Image credit: Twitter)

His first major moment came in IPL 2020 came in the clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings. The CSK skipper looked in decent touch as he scored 21 off 13 balls but his brief cameo came to an end on the final ball of the 19th over when he was dismissed by Natarajan. Dhoni had struck him for a huge six on the previous delivery and tried another when he was caught by Kane Williamson. The wicket got all recalling the interview with senior India spinner R Ashwin. Natarajan had said that Dhoni's wicket is the only wicket he wants to take in this IPL. The right-arm pacer eventually managed to get his dream wicket and Ashwin congratulated him on Twitter. "Well done da @Natarajan_91 Great moment for you," Ashwin wrote for Natarajan. (Image credit: Twitter)

However, it was his performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore that propelled him into the limelight. AB de Viliers had crossed fifty and was preparing for an onslaught in the IPL 2020 Eliminator between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday. The 18th over bowled by T Natarajan was going to be vital for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team. The over started well when he dismissed Washington Sundar cheaply. However, on the fifth ball, Nataraj produced a moment of magic that stunned the internet as well as thousands of fans. Natarajan bowled a pin-point yorker on middle stump, AB de Villiers tried all his skill to dig it out by unfurling the helicopter shot, but he failed and the ball uprooted middle stump.

AB de Villiers fell for 56 and it made a massive difference to the score as Royal Challengers Bangalore could manage only 18 runs in the last two overs, with Jason Holder conceding just five runs in the 19th over. Holder was the star with 3/25 as Royal Challengers Bangalore managed 131/5. Sunrisers Hyderabad, boosted by a fifty from Kane Williamson and a match-winning partnership with Jason Holder, notched up a thrilling six-wicket win with two balls to spare. However, it was T Natarajan’s yorker that had everyone talking, with cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle terming him ‘Yorker Natarajan’. An unfortunate injury to Varun Chakravarthy gave T Natarajan the chance to feature in the India cricket team for the tour to Australia. (Image credit: Twitter)