Last few months have been surreal: Natarajan thanks teammates for constant support

After winning the T20I series against Australia in his maiden outing for the country, India pacer T Natarajan on Wednesday said the last few months have been surreal and thanked his teammates for the constant support and encouragement. On Twitter, the speedster wrote, "The last few months have been surreal. My maiden outing with #TeamIndia and we won the T20I series. A dream come true moment made special by the champion bunch. I thank my teammates for their constant support and encouragement. Thank you everyone for your love & support."

Pacer Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the T20I series and Mohammad Shami too did not play the last two games. Natarajan did not disappoint his skipper and led the charge in the T20I series. Natarajan made his debut in the shortest format of the game in the opening T20I against Australia, two days after playing his first match in international cricket on December 2.

The seamer from Tamil Nadu gained popularity in the latest edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) where he was labelled as the 'yorker machine'. Natarajan played for Kings XI Punjab and bagged 16 wickets in as many games in the 13th edition of the cash-rich league. His performance in the IPL handed him an India call-up. He was first included in the shortest format squad and later on added as a back-up in the ODI side by the BCCI. The decision was taken as pacer Navdeep Saini complained of a back spasm.

India skipper Virat Kohli feels if left-arm seamer T Natarajan keeps on bowling consistently as he bowled in the white-ball fixtures against Australia, the 'yorker king' can be a great asset for the side during the T20 World Cup in 2021. Kohli said the left-arm pacer stood up for the side in the absence of pace bowling duo of Shami and Bumrah.

"Natarajan special mention for him as in absence of Bumrah and Shami. He is been the guy who has stood up and really delivered under pressure. And it's an outstanding fact that he playing his first game at the international level," Kohli said during a virtual press conference. "He looks very composed and is a very hard-working guy and very humble too. I wish him all the best and a left-arm bowler is always an asset on the field and if he can be consistent it will be a great thing for us heading into the World Cup next year," he added.

Australia secured a 12-run victory over India in the third T20I here at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday. While India had already won the three-match T20I series after winning the first two games, Australia won the last game to avoid a whitewash. India will now lock horns in the four-match Test series against Australia which gets underway on December 17. The first match will be a day-night affair and Kohli will head back home after the first Test as he has been granted paternity leave by the BCCI.

Rohit Sharma's availability for the Test series is also not clear as his fitness will be reassessed on December 11 at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. (ANI)