Why did T. Natarajan left red ball cricket all of a sudden? Know more

New Delhi: India had earlier won the border Gavaskar trophy in 2022/23 with a 2-1 victory over the Aussies. One of the orchestrators of the BGT win of India in that campaign was T Natarajan who bamboozled the Aussies with his toe-crushing yorkers.

Natarajan’s importance in the series arose in the 4th test when an underdog Indian side defeated a strong Aussie side in front of a home crowd in Brisbane (Gabba) which was considered as one of the fortresses of the Aussies. However, that test was the only Test that the left-handed bowler from Tamil Nadu played.

The question that baffles every Indian cricket fan is what happened to such a talented player who was in line to become one of the most successful red-ball bowlers in India.

How did Natarajan slip into oblivion?

Natarajan’s meteoric rise to the red ball scene has been identical to the way that he fell from the red ball scenario. The reason given by the 33-year-old was due to the heavy workload that prevented him from playing the longest format of the game. In a recent interview given to the Times of India, the 33-year-old talked about the real reason why he dropped his intentions of playing red-ball cricket for the time being-

It has been almost four years since I played red-ball cricket. It is not that I do not want to play red-ball cricket, but I feel that it makes my workload heavier…

Natarajan had scalped 3 wickets on his test debut back in 2022/23. Furthermore, the 33-year-old said that while he is focused on the white ball cricket, his love for the red ball has not diminished. The left-hander is optimistic to make a return to the red ball circuit once again.

Meanwhile, in the white ball circuit, Natarajan continues to impress his franchise- the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Natarajan was the runner-up in the 2024 IPL edition (losing to KKR in the final). In a competition which has been “brutal” for bowlers, Natarajan managed to pick 19 wickets from 14 games at an impressive economy rate of 9.05.

Furthermore, Natarajan has also played 4 t20is and 2 ODIs for the national side.