Ahead of the T20I series against England, Team India has suffered a huge blow with T Natarajan likely to miss the opening game of the series. The two teams will lock horns in the first of the five-match series on March 12 (February) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad which will officially mark the beginning of India’s preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to take place later this year.
Since joining the Australia-bound squad as a replacement of Varun Chakravarthy to landing in India after three months having made his debut in all formats, T Natarajan had a rollercoaster ride. The left-arm fast bowler impressed one and all with his antics and became a key member of the side in a very small time as he is being looked as one of India’s frontline bowlers in the global T20 event.
T Natarajan doubtful for England T20Is
As a result, he was named in the 19-member squad for the five-match series against England T20Is. But the cricketer from Tamil Nadu is likely to miss the first tie since he is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. As per reports, the NCA has told the management about the pacer’s unavailability at least until March 12.
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Meanwhile, ESPNCricinfo reported that the nature of T Natarajan’s injury and the duration of his unavailability is yet to be known. However, BCCI is yet to put out any official update on the 29-year-old fast bowler. India have Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, and Deepak Chahar in the squad.
Previously, after a successful campaign in Australia, T Natarajan was over the moon. He was short of words while expressing the joy of donning the India jersey and representing the nation. The southpaw lauded his national teammates for lending him adequate support.
“I am very happy. This is my first trip to Australia. Delighted that I performed well against a good side. I can’t express my feelings in words, I am extremely happy with my performance. I didn’t expect a lot from this series. I initially came in as a net bowler,” Natarajan was quoted as saying.
“After an injury (to Varun Chakravarthy), I got an opportunity and I wanted to utilise it well. I was in good form in the IPL that came in handy. Also, everyone motivated me very well here. They gave me a lot of support and that gave me the confidence to do well,” he added.
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