After missing out on substantial amount of cricket due to injury and Covid, India pacer T Natarajan looks to make a strong comeback in the upcoming calendar. The left-arm medium pacer will be seen in action in India’s premier domestic tournament Ranji Trophy, where he will be representing Tamil Nadu.
Apart from that, the 30-year-old will go under the hammer in the upcoming IPL mega auctions, which is slated to be held in February 12, 13. He is listed under the base price of ₹1 crore but going by his reputation a bidding war can be expected among the franchises. However, Natarajan is unfazed about his IPL price tag and instead looks forward to be back on the field.
“I’m not thinking too much about it [the auction]. IPL, another T20 World Cup – there are talks about 2022 being a big year – but I just want to focus on my strengths and keep working hard. If I do that, the rest of the things will fall in place. I’m coming back after a long break, so I’ll be lying if I say I’m not nervous.”
“I’ve done well in the IPL and for India before, so people will expect strong performances from me. Once I play one or two matches, I will hit my rhythm and will be more clear with my plans. I’m feeling refreshed now and just want to keep doing whatever has worked for me in the past – focusing on my yorkers and cutters. I want to come back as the old Natarajan,” the 30-year-old told ESPNCricinfo.
Natarajan was initially inducted in the IPL roster back in 2018 and since then there has been no looking back for the left-arm seamer. On the back of superlative performances in the cash-rich league, the bowler earned his maiden call-up in the Indian squad for the tour of Australia in 2021, where he was seen in action in all the three-formats.
But ever since his fairy-tale tour of Australia the bowler has been marred with injuries and Covid, which hampered his participation in the previous edition of IPL.
The pacer made a return to the field in patches. He was part of the Tamil Nadu side, which won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 title, but missed the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy in December.
