NEWS
Follow UsT Natarajan was part of India’s playing XI when they defeated Australia by three wickets at the Gabba to win the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. That was his Test debut, but the left-arm seamer hasn’t played any red-ball cricket since then.
It’s been more than three and a half years and Natarajan said his body is currently not ready for first-class cricket. Overall, the 33-year-old has featured in 21 first-class encounters, picking up 67 wickets at an average of 27.59.
The left-arm pacer, however, regularly plays white-ball cricket. He recently played in the last edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and was also part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) set-up in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
“It has been almost four years since I played red-ball cricket (referring to first-class matches). It is not that I do not want to play red-ball cricket, but I feel that it makes my workload heavier. Right now, I am avoiding red-ball cricket,” he told the Times of India.
“When my workload is heavy, I am having issues with my knee. So I have stopped playing.”
Natarajan, who has also played two ODIs and four T20Is, said he loves red-ball cricket more than white-ball cricket and is working hard on his body to get back to first-class cricket.
“I love red-ball cricket more than white-ball cricket. Whenever I play red-ball cricket, I enjoy it a lot. If things go to play, I will play after a few years. If I train well for the next two years, there are chances for me to return. But right now, I am only looking at white-ball cricket.”
Natarajan last played for India in March 2021, in the third ODI in Pune against England.
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