India left-arm quick T Natarajan was ruled out of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) owing to his knee injury and underwent corrective surgery for the same. Now recovered and rehabbing, he is now looking to make a comeback in the second leg of the tournament that will be played in the UAE from mid-September.

The 30-year-old from Tamil Nadu is currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for rehabilitation and will be missing the fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) which is being held from July 19 to August 15 in Chennai.

“I am progressing well after the surgery. I have started training slowly. I will start bowling at full tilt in the nets by the end of this month. My focus right now is on recovering fully and returning by the time the IPL restarts,” Natarajan told The Indian Express.

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The fast-bowler who played just two matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2021, which was suspended mid-way due to some players and members of support staff testing positive for COVID-19.

“The fact that the IPL got suspended when it did has turned out to be a good thing in the end. None of it was in my hands of course,” the left-arm quick said.

While the Tamil Nadu pacer missed out on the opportunity to confirm his T20 World Cup 2021 berth with good performances in the ongoing white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, Natarajan feels a good performance in the second-leg of IPL 14 will help him book his berth for the World Cup.

“I am not thinking about the T20 World Cup right now. I am thinking more about my recovery. If I do well in the IPL, the chance to be selected for the T20 World Cup will come on its own. That is my belief. But for that, my recovery needs to be spot on,” he signed off.

(With The New Indian Express Inputs)