'Nattu, you're an absolute legend' - David Warner lauds T Natarajan

India’s latest pace sensation T Natarajan is living a fairy tale life as he became the first Indian to make his debut across all the formats in the same series. The left-arm seamer impressed the who’s who of the cricket fraternity with his ability of bowling pin-point and toe-crushing yorkers during the India tour of Australia.

T Natarajan was initially added to the Indian squad for Australia as a net bowler. However, injuries to the main bowlers ensured that the seamer was added to the main squad. He started his stint in international cricket with an ODI match against Australia where he scalped two wickets. This was followed by the Tamil Nadu-born delivering a stellar performance in three T20 Internationals by picking 6 wickets.

The left-arm seamer also enjoyed a good debut in the Test format as he featured in the last game of the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy and picked up 3 wickets to cap off what was a fantastic tour for him. Natarajan had announced himself to the cricket fraternity with an exemplary performance for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League 2020.

Detailing his opinion on the seamer, SRH skipper David Warner said on the YouTube channel ‘Sports Today’, “First thing I’d like to say is Vazhthukal (greetings) Nattu, you’re an absolute legend. I’ve got so much time for you, you’re a great person on and off the field and I love having you in our team. Cheers!”

I think Natarajan bowled 80 yorkers in the tournament which is an exceptional display of death bowling: David Warner

Natarajan’s wife gave birth to a baby girl towards the business end of IPL 2020, however, instead of returning back to India to see his new-born, the seamer decided to stay back and travel to Australia to represent Men in Blue on the big stage. Speaking about the same, Warner lauded Nattu for his dedication and grit.

“What a talent he is, we’ve just seen a guy who played unbelievably well in the IPL 2020, going on tour with the Indian team as a net bowler while sacrificing being there for the birth of his first child and then making his debut in all forms… what a magnificent achievement.

“The way we used him – outside the powerplay, maybe an over in the powerplay and bowling alongside Rashid Khan in partnership worked very well. I think he bowled 80 yorkers in the tournament which is an exceptional display of death bowling whenever he did come on. I’m extremely excited to see what he brings to the table this year,” David Warner concluded.