“He has the mindset and confidence to deliver,” VVS Laxman feels T Natarajan will be India’s “x-factor” in WT20

“He has the mindset and confidence to deliver,” VVS Laxman feels T Natarajan will be India’s “x-factor” in WT20

T Natarajan and VVS Laxman

T Natarajan and VVS Laxman
T Natarajan and VVS Laxman

Tamil Nadu pacer T Natarajan has come a long way in the Indian Premier League since his disastrous season with Kings XI Punjab in 2017. From picking only two wickets in IPL 2017 to single-handedly upholding Sunrisers Hyderabad‘s death bowling in IPL 2020. Natarajan proved his might with the ball. His scintillating death bowling saw him earn his maiden India call up on the back of his 16 wickets this IPL season.

SRH mentor VVS Laxman feels that the speedster will prove to be the x-factor for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Laxman adds that he being left-arm quick will add variety to India’s pace battery. Natrajan’s presence will bolster India’s death bowling which already boasts of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.

“With the T20 World Cup scheduled next year – if you look at the Indian team, it requires someone good at the death. It is great to see the likes of Mohammed Shami and Navdeep Saini bowl with such confidence in the death. Natarajan being a left-armer will be the X-factor,” Laxman told Sportstar.

He got a lot of variations

T Natarajan

The 29-year-old took IPL 2020 by storm with his impeccable yorkers in the death. Stepping up to fill the big shoes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar towards the fag end of the game, Natarajan dished out a whopping 76 yorkers in IPL 2020, the second-most by any bowler in a single IPL edition. But many pundits fear that Natarajan lacks the variety which T20 cricket demands.

Laxman shares that Natarajan has many more tricks in his bag apart from the destructive yorker. The former India batsman adds that Natarajan’s attacking mindset and confidence to deliver even in the direst of situations will take him a long way in the light blue of India.

“Natarajan was always known for those yorkers – even in the TNPL. But, I must say he got a lot of variations which he didn’t use in the IPL. He has a sharp bouncer, slower one, off-cutter and has the wicket taking ability with the new ball,” Laxman explained.

“Essentially, Natarajan has the mindset and the confidence of executing yorkers which we generally believe to be the toughest to deliver. And, he has done consistently and exceedingly well through the IPL. The pick of them being the dismissal of RCB’s AB de Villiers under pressure.”

Natarajan is currently in Australia with the rest of the Indian squad. He is gearing up for the T20 series following the ODI series which starts on November 27.

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