Focus is to recover in time for IPL restart, says T Natarajan
T Natarajan, who was ruled out of the IPL with a knee problem, has resumed training at the National Cricket Academy and is focused on regaining full fitness prior to the restart of the T20 extravaganza in September. Natarajan, however, stressed that he currently is not thinking about the WT20.
Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Thangarasu Natarajan has restarted his training at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and aims to regain cent per cent fitness after he underwent knee surgery in April, which ruled him out of IPL 2021 after playing just two games.
IPL was provisionally suspended after the surge of COVID-19 cases in India’s second wave of the pandemic, but the BCCI has rescheduled the tournament to take place in United Arab Emirates (UAE) somewhere in the middle of September. Natarajan said that he is progressing with his surgery and plans to get himself back on track by the time IPL resumes.
“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 was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
“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,” he added.
The Tamil Nadu pacer made headlines last year after enduring a collossal rise, breaking through via IPL 2020 and then making his debut for the national team in all formats. The injury has come as a major setback for Natarajan, who once looked like a lock for the WT20, but the 30-year-old is currently not looking at the marquee event. Natarajan believes that a good IPL showing will automatically ensure that he gets picked in the WT20 squad.
“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,” Natarajan said.
