Last few months have been surreal, says 'outstanding' Natarajan

Leftarm fast bowler T Natarajan who came out with an impressive performance during his maiden outing with Team India in the limitedovers series against Australia believes last few months have been surreal for himOn his first international tour the leftarm pacer stepped up with his yorkers and slower variations and in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah helped India to a 21 T20I series win against Australia as he picked up six wickets in the three matches at an economy of just under sevenNatarajan made an impact on his ODI debut as well picking the wickets of Marnus Labuchange and Ashton Agar in another matchwinning spell in the third game of the series at the Manuka OvalThe last few months have been surreal My maiden outing with Team India and we won the T20I series A dream come true moment made special by the champion bunch Natarajan said in a tweet on WednesdayI thank my teammates for their constant support and encouragement Thank you everyone for your love and support he addedNatarajan had first impressed the cricket fraternity with his yorkers during the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League IPL played in the United Arab Emirates Playing for SunRisers Hyderabad SRH he picked 16 wickets in 16 matches and courtesy that he earned an India callupThe 29yearold however wasnt supposed to be in Indias T20I squad He was originally picked as a net bowler but an injury to spinner Varun Chakravarthy opened up an opportunity and thats how Natarajan was added to the squad an opportunity he seized with both handsThe T20I leg of the tour which ended on Tuesday however saw Natarajan posing with both the series trophy and the PlayeroftheSeries trophy which Hardik Pandya had handed over to him in the team photoNatarajan you were outstanding this series To perform brilliantly in difficult conditions on your India debut speaks volumes of your talent and hard work You deserve Man of the Series from my side bhai Congratulations to Team India on the win Pandya tweeted after Tuesdays game which India lost by 12 runs at the Sydney Cricket GroundTeam India skipper Virat Kohli also praised Natarajans work ethic and revealed that he could be a handy asset heading into the T20 World Cup to be played at home next yearSpecial mention to Natarajan because in the absence of Shami and Bumrah he has been the guy who has stood up and really delivered under pressure Outstanding for the fact that he is playing the first few games at the international level looks very composed he is very sure of what he wants to do said Kohli while speaking to reporters after the matchNatarajan is a very hardworking guy a humble guy and you feel happy for the guys working hard for results and making the team win I wish him all the best Hope he continues to work hard on his game and keep getting better because a leftarm bowler is always an asset for any team And if he can bowl that well and consistently it will be a great thing for us heading into World Cup next year he saidKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever