Natarajan an asset for India heading into the T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli

Natarajan who burst onto the scene after a successful IPL season was handed his ODI and T20I debut against Australia. The left arm pacer made full use of this opportunity as he took 6 wickets in the T20I series at an impressive economy of just under seven. He played a vital role in India winning the T20I series by a scoreline of 2-1.

Virat Kohli heaped praise on the young left arm pacer and believed that he was an asset for the Indian team going forward into the T20 World Cup next year. Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the T20I series to manage his workload due to the upcoming four match test series against Australia. Shami also played no part in the last two T20Is to give him a much needed rest. It was Natarajan who stepped up in the absence of the two experienced pacers and delivered well under pressure.

“In the absence of 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 and he looks very composed,”said Kohli. “He’s 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.”

“I wish him all the best and I hope he continues to work hard on his game and keeps getting better. Because a left-arm bowler is always an asset for any team and if he can bowl that well and consistently, I think he’ll be a great thing for us heading into the World Cup next year,” the Indian skipper added.

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