IND vs AUS, 3rd ODI: T Natarajan Becomes 232nd Player To Play ODIs For India After Stellar IPL With SRH

Natarajan, who made his ODI debut for the 'Men In Blue' in the 3rd ODI against the Aussies became the 232nd cricketer to represent India in ODI cricket.Natarajan made the cut into the Indian white ball unit on the back of a stellar outing with the ball for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played in the United Arab Emirates.

T Natarajan (T Natarajan Twitter Handle)

Tamil Nadu medium pacer Thangarasu Natarajan had a defining moment in his professional cricket career as he was handed his maiden ODI cap by Indian skipper Virat Kohli ahead of the 3rd and final ODI of the series at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. Natarajan, who made his ODI debut for the 'Men In Blue' in the 3rd ODI against the Aussies, was a late inclusion in the Playing XI in place of seasoned seamer Mohammad Shami. He was one of the four changes India made in their playing XI for the final game. He became the 232nd cricketer to represent India in ODI cricket.

A massive day for @Natarajan_91 today as he makes his #TeamIndia debut. He becomes the proud owner of ???? 232. Go out and give your best, champ! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/YtXD3Nn9pz

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 2, 2020

Natarajan made the cut into the Indian white ball unit on the back of a stellar outing with the ball for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played in the United Arab Emirates. On 26 Oct 2020, Natarajan was named as one of four additional bowlers to travel with the India squad for their all-format tour to Australia. On Nov 9, 2020, he was added to India's T20I squad, replacing his TN team mate and off spinner Varun Chakravarthy who was ruled out due to an injury.

Two new faces on the field for the final #AUSvIND ODI!

???????? T Natarajan makes his India debut ???????? Cameron Green gets maiden Australia cap Which newbie are you looking forward to watch? ???? pic.twitter.com/fjNtfi3pVC — ICC (@ICC) December 2, 2020

Natarajan Ended Up As Second Highest Wicket Taker For Sunrisers Hyderabad In IPL 2020 Natarajan was impressive with the white cherry all through the season, picking up 16 wickets in as many games and helping Warner-led 'Orange Army' secure a place in the Playoffs. He ended up as the second highest wicket taker (16 wickets) for SRH behind their Afghan spin king Rashid Khan (20 wickets). Being an integral member of a SRH pace battery, Natarajan stepped up his bowling efforts in the absence of injured seam spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar and made a name for himself with his tight death bowling while closing out games with the ball for his team. Natarajan became known for bowling yorkers on a consistent basis in the death overs and eventually got nicknamed 'Yorker Machine'. KXIP Snap Up Natarajan For Rs 3 Cr Ahead Of IPL 2017  Natarajan caught the eyes of the IPL franchise in 2017 after a couple of wicket taking seasons in in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Kings Eleven Punjab snapped him for Rs 3 crore ahead of the 2017 season of the T20 league. 'Nats' did not have the best possible start to his IPL career as he could only pick up 2 wickets in his six outings for KXIP. He was pretty expensive too , going for 9 runs an over. After a disappointing maiden season with KXIP, Natarajan did not lose heart and got back to the domestic fold, stringing together match winning performances for his state team Tamil Nadu in List A and T20 cricket. SRH Rope In Natarajan For Rs 40 lakhs In IPL 2018 Players' Auction His stellar exploits with the ball for Tamil Nadu in white ball cricket caught the attention of Muttiah Muralitharan, who roped him in at SRH for Rs 40 lakhs ahead of the 2018 edition of the IPL. After being sidelines for the first 2 seasons, 'Nats' eventually got his chance and became a regular member of SRH's pace bowling unit in IPL 2020, picking up 16 wickets in his team's march to the play-offs for yet another season.