Remember India left-arm pacer T Natarajan? The bowler who made his all-formats debut during the 2020-21 tour to Australia. His major contribution had come in the Test series, where in the absence of some of the premier fast bowlers, he not only picked up wickets, but also set the tone for an India victory. Since then, despite the performances, his name has gone into an oblivion.
One of the reasons for that has been, he hasn’t played first-class cricket in four years now. Though he is regularly seen in the IPL, but that hasn’t been fruitful in earning him an India call-up. Mind you, he picked up 19 wickets for the SRH this season. Speaking to the Times of India, Natarajan hinted, that his red-ball career might all be over, just to prolong his white-ball career.
“It has been almost four years since I played red-ball cricket (referring to first-class matches). It is not that I do not want to play red-ball cricket, but I feel that it makes my workload heavier. Right now, I am avoiding red-ball cricket,” he said.
- Predicted India Playing XI vs South Africa: Any chance for Abhishek Sharma-Sanju Samson swap?
- Steve Smith’s 7700 km journey ends with no gametime as Australia back Cameron Green
![Steve Smith, Jonny Bairstow & Umesh Yadav among 1300 players available for IPL 2026 teams]()
- Team India not concerned about Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar likely to retain spot vs SA
![Washington Sundar ready for T20 World Cup 2026 as Suryakumar Yadav gives huge update]()
“When my workload is heavy, I am having issues with my knee. So I have stopped playing,” he added. Having said that, he considers red-ball format as the superior one, still. “I love red-ball cricket more than white-ball cricket. Whenever I play red-ball cricket, I enjoy it a lot. If things go to play, I will play after a few years. If I train well for the next two years, there are chances for me to return. But right now, I am only looking at white-ball cricket,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nattu last played for India in an ODI vs England in 2021, and since then has not been able to make a comeback in the international arena.
