From Tennis Ball cricket to yorker machine for Sunrisers Hyderabad - The inspiring story of T Natarajan

Chinnappampatti is a small village in Salem district. It is from this place where a 29-year-old dismissed Virat Kohli and took his first wicket in IPL 2020 playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Against Delhi Capitals, he was nailing yorkers at will as their power-packed batting failed to get the final push. It was his ability to bowl yorkers that got the attention of Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2017. From becoming a tennis ball legend in Chinnappampatti to acquiring a reputation as a yorker master in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, this is the continued upward journey of Thangarasu Natarajan.

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. Varun Chakravarthy is a classic case in point.

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.

Patience rewarded in IPL

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.

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. The fact that he is humble sums up in the interview he once gave the Indian Express when he said, “Need to take care of the basics first. Luxury can wait. I want to educate my sisters. If they get that, their lives will improve on their own. I will support them to any extent. Investing in their education is bigger than me driving in some fancy car,” Natarajan had said.