The veteran spin all-rounder of the Indian team, Ravichandran Ashwin, has recently supported the decision from the national selectors to leave out their left-arm pacer, T Natarajan, for the upcoming season of the Duleep Trophy, scheduled to start on September 05.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who led the Dindigul Dragons to their maiden title in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024, won’t be available for the tournament, as he aims to get back into the rhythm straightaway during the upcoming 2-match series at home against Bangladesh.
Natarajan’s last appearance in the red-ball series came during the famous Gabba Test in 2021, when the experienced members of the side were injured, as the Blue Brigade was forced to go with a young side. The 33-year-old picked up three wickets in the game.
“If T Natarajan played red-ball cricket”- Ravichandran Ashwin
The veteran off-spinner of the Indian team, Ravichandran Ashwin, has pointed out that Natarajan’s lack of practice in the red-ball games has contributed to his non-selection. The Gabba Test was also the last first-class game for the pacer, putting no connection between him and the format for nearly three years.
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The Tamil Nadu-born shared how the bowler hasn’t put himself in the ground for three years, and when he was picked, his injury never helped to settle in the side.
“I feel Natarajan is a fantastic white-ball bowler. He did well in IPL this year. His last first-class match was Australia vs India at Brisbane on January 15th in 2021.” Ravichandran Ashwin noted in a video shared on his YouTube channel. “He has not put himself in the park for the last 3 years. He is broken down when he’s picked, and he is not played. We are backing him a lot.”
He also felt that had the bowler played a few games for Tamil Nadu, then the scenario could have been different as he might have come into consideration for selection among the four teams.
“I like Natarajan a lot. He is a very good guy. But, just for the sake of it, I won’t say it today. If Natarajan played red-ball cricket and made it to Tamil Nadu, I will say that he should play there.” The 37-year-old hoped.
Despite making his FC debut almost nine years ago, the pacer has featured in only 21 games of the format, where he has picked up 67 wickets at an average of under 28 and an economy of 3.03, celebrating three five-wicket hauls.
Ashwin knows what it takes to be part of the longest format for such an extended period, as he has collected 516 wickets in 100 games at an average of under 24, recording 36 five-wicket hauls, with the best of 7/59.
Natarajan was impressive, being the leading wicket-taker for Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League, picking up 19 wickets in 14 games. He was part of the Tamil Nadu squad for the 2023-24 Ranji season but didn’t play a single game in the competition.
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In the same video, Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Tamil Nadu batter Baba Indrajith, for being such a prolific batter against the spinners. He also felt that the batter’s name doesn’t get mentioned a lot because of TN’s late success in the Ranji Trophy.
“Last year, he hit 700 runs until the semi-final. Otherwise, he would have struggled this time. Very, very fine player. He is in a good phase. I hope, in this Duleep Trophy, he makes it count with a few 100s.” The 37-year-old concluded.
Ravichandran Ashwin will be back in action during the opening Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
