Mumbai : Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was all praise for India fast bowler T Natarajan following his exploits in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Shastri also said that the Indian team missed the services of the left-arm pacer during the T20 World Cup, labelling him as a specialist death bowler. Natarajan had missed the T20 World Cup after picking up a knee and shoulder injury during India’s home series against England last year.
However, the pacer seems to have regained full fitness, and has hit the ground running in the ongoing IPL 2022.
Very happy for him. We missed him in the World Cup. He would’ve been a certainty had he been fit. He got injured against England when we were playing the ODI series and we really missed him (in the World Cup).
He’s that specialist death bowler, bowls those yorkers very skillfully. He’s got great control. He is skiddy. A bit quicker than you think and hits the bat, Shastri said.
Natarajan, who had travelled with the Indian team as a net bowler during the tour of Australia in 2021, ended up playing an important role in India’s Test series triumph.
Shastri, who was the head coach at the time, recalled the same tour and described Natarajan as the lucky charm for the Indian team during the historic tour.
Every game I’ve picked him we won. In his debut in T20, India win. In his debut in Test cricket, India win. From a net bowler, he played those other two formats, he added.