The left-arm pacer who was part of the Indian squad during their historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy victory in 2020-21, T Natarajan has revealed the reason why he has not been part of the first-class set-up for four years now.
Natarajan is primarily known for his exploits in the shortest format. He has been an instrumental part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team where he has been a key wicket-taking option for the side. In the 2024 edition, he has taken a total of 19 wickets in the tournament.
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Speaking to the Times of India, the southpaw revealed that he still wants to play the longest format but due to his workload issues, he is avoiding the format altogether to keep himself ready and refreshed.
“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 shared.
“When my workload is heavy, I am having issues with my knee. So I have stopped playing,” he added.
The pacer sees the red-ball format as the superior one and will hope that he can train and build himself up so that his body can handle the physical and mental demands the longer format can take on a player.
“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,” he commented.
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Natarajan last featured in an ODI against England in March 2021 and has been out of the picture with regard to Team India and international cricket. He hopes to get the injury issues behind him and hope that his performances can get him a call-up in the Indian team in the near future.
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