In a tournament where a lot of bowlers have been trying out different slower balls to escape punishment from big bats on good pitches, it was refreshing to see Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) left-arm quick T Natarajan trust the traditional method of bowling yorkers to contain batsmen at the death in his team's win over Delhi Capitals (DC).
Natarajan's spell of 1/25 in SRH's 15-run victory in Abu Dhabi in Match 11 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 saw him consistently nail his yorkers, something he first rose to prominence with after impressing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), which led to his maiden IPL season with Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) back then.
Read Also: Dinesh Karthik praises KKR's youngsters but with a note of caution
Bowling yorkers is a skill Natarajan has horned from playing a lot of tennis ball cricket in his younger days. The 29-year-old says apart from physical hardwork, the ball requires significant mental strength as well.
"Other bowlers are not trying too many yorkers. Since the grounds (other than Sharjah) are big and the pitches are on the slower side, bowlers are trying other variations like slower length balls. Every bowler thinks differently. My main strength is the yorker. So I am looking to back that. You need to practice a lot to get yorkers right. You need a lot of mental strength as well," Natarajan told the Times of India.
After his unsuccessful first season with KXIP in IPL 2017, Natarajan was released and bought by SRH. But not until this year did the pacer get to play. In Sunrisers' opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Natarajan dismissed the great Virat Kohli.
"I was eager to prove myself if I get a chance this year. I am getting an opportunity after a long time. I didn't want to miss this chance. I have had that mindset," he said.
"I did not expect to play the first match itself. I thought I will get a chance at some stage. But the first game itself went well. I am playing every match with the mentality that it could be the last game."
When he was first seen, many felt Natarjan's left-arm angle could be even more lethal if he can add a yard of pace. It's an area of improvement that has been evident this year so far. He says being able to put those extra hours of training at his home in Salem, even when the COVID-19 lockdown had been imposed, has proven really beneficial.
"I started working on my physical strength when lockdown started," he said. "I am thankful to N Sankar (owner of TNCA club Jolly Rovers) for helping me during the pandemic with a monthly salary. I have taken good care of my body in the last six months. My pace has gone up."
"Apart from gym work, I did a lot of running at my academy in Salem and was continuously training at the nets. Eating home-cooked food has also helped," Natarajan added.
