T Natarajan could be a great addition to the team for T20 World Cup 2021: Virat Kohli

India skipper Virat Kohli is impressed with the left-arm seamer T Natarajan‘s performance on Australia tour. The white-ball leg of the tour concluded on Tuesday where he picked eight wickets in four matches including six in the three-match T20I series. Natarajan emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the series and continued from where he left in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

With T20 World Cup less than a year away, his ability to bowl yorkers and keep a lid on the opposition’s run-scoring is a great asset for Team India. And Kohli feels Natarajan can be a part of the WC squad if he builds on this good start and continues to bowl the same way.

After the end of third T20I, the Indian skipper lauded T Natarajan for stepping up to the task in the absence of lead pacers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. “Natarajan – special mention to him because in the absence of [Mohammed] Shami and Bumrah, he’s been the guy who has stood up and really delivered under pressure which is outstanding for the fact that he’s playing his first few games at the international level,” Kohli said during virtual media interaction.

Left-arm bowler is always an asset, says Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli termed T Natarajan as a humble and hardworking player and wished him all the luck for the future hoping for him to continue in the same vein. He’s very composed, very sure of what he wants to do. He’s a very hardworking guy, very humble guy, and you feel happy for guys who are committed and working hard for the team when they get the results and make the team win.

“So, I wish him all the best and I hope that he continues to work hard on his game and continues to get better because a left-arm bowler is always an asset for any team. So if he can bowl that well consistently it will be a great thing for us heading into to the [T20] World Cup next year,” he added.

Rather Hardik Pandya, the actual Man of the Series, felt that Natarajan should’ve won the award for his exceptional bowling in a high-scoring series. The left-arm pacer conceded only 72 runs in 12 overs in a series where batsmen enjoyed a lot.