Former India captain Kapil Dev has revealed that fast pitcher T Natarajan was his IPL 2020 ‘hero’. In a conversation with senior sports writer and journalist Ayaz Memon on Day 2 of the 18th Hindustan Leadership Summit Times, Kapil said he was very impressed with the 29-year-old fast bowler from Tamil Nadu for sticking to the basics of accurate bowling yorkers in an ever-changing dynamic that is fast bowling.
“Natarajan was my IPL hero. Young Buy was not afraid and defeated many Yorkers. The yorker is the best ball, not just today, but even in the last 100 years, ”Kapil said.
Natarajan emerged as one of the findings of the recently concluded IPL, his 16-wicket tally proving to be pivotal on SRH’s path to the playoffs for the third year in a row. Natarajan collected important wickets throughout the tournament, including that of Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli and his teammate AB de Villiers. The quick one with the left arm was rewarded with a first call-up from India when his name was included in the T20I team for the series against Australia.
That Natarajan could dedicate himself to cricket is in itself a story of great courage and determination. His father was a porter at the train station, his mother was a day laborer. But none of that stopped Natarajan from making his mark in local cricket circles and then moving up a notch into the lower divisions of Chennai cricket. He then had to overcome an injury and work at his bowling alley after it was indicated that his action could be suspicious.
He then made it to the Tamil Nadu Premier League, which is where he was spotted by Kings XI scouts. He was chosen for Rs 3 crore by the Punjab team in the 2017 auction. He did not do well enough for them to stay with him in 2018 which is when he moved to SRH. Although he had to wait a long time for another chance, Natarajan had kept busy paying.
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