He Is A Sparkling Prospect: Karsan Ghavri Heaps High Praise On T Natarajan

Former Indian pacer Karsan Ghavri has heaped high praise on the latest sensation in Indian cricket, T Natarajan. The left-arm pacer from Tamil Nadu has seen his stocks rise substantially in the past few months following his brilliant display in the Indian Premier League where he finished as SunRisers Hyderabad’s second-highest wicket-taker after Rashid Khan.

Natarajan made his One-day International debut for India in the third ODI against Australia at the Manuka Oval where he returned with figures of 2-70 in 10 overs. The left-arm pacer claimed his maiden wicket of Marnus Labuschagne bef0re coming back at the death to dismiss Ashton Agar.

Natarajan impressed one and all with his steely temperament as he came back brilliantly at the death after having been put under humungous pressure by a rampaging Glenn Maxwell.

Indian cricket has been searching for a quality left-arm pacer since the glory days of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, and Irfan Pathan and Karsan Ghavri reckons that Natarajan could emerge into the match-winner for Team India under the able leadership of Virat Kohli.

”Natarajan is looking like a bright prospect for the Indian team. He is very talented. If he keeps on bowling well and keeps up his fitness levels, he can serve Indian cricket for a long time. He is a bright prospect for the Indian team. He has the ability to generate a good amount of pace. He has got some variations,” Karsan Ghavri told TOI.

The best part is that he has the ability to bowl yorkers, especially in the death overs. He has all the qualities a left-arm pacer needs,” Ghavri told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview. “I know he (Natarajan) gave away a lot of runs but he has taken wickets too. He bowled yorkers in the death. That controlled the flow of runs. He looked good to me in his debut match. I am sure he will go a long way,” Ghavri further added.

‘The more he will bowl at the nets, the more he will improve”- Karsan Ghavri on T Natarajan

Ghavri further added that T Natarajan can play the same kind of role that Zaheer Khan did as he hailed him as a ‘sparkling prospect’. The former Indian pacer also had a word of advice for the rookie fast bowler. He urged Natarajan to keep his fitness levels high.

“The way Zaheer did under Ganguly’s captaincy, Natarajan can do well under Kohli’s captaincy. Kohli is a good leader and I am sure he will motivate this guy (Natarajan) and make him learn. As he progresses in his career and if plays with consistent performance, he is going to serve the Indian team for a long time. He is a sparkling prospect for India,” Ghavri said.

“I will just advise him to keep his fitness level high. If he manages to do so, he can serve the Indian team for long. He can fill the left-arm pacer void in the Indian team”. Khali gym jaake body banana jaruri nahi hai” (Going to the gym and working out isn’t enough). Cricket related exercise is very important. If he is a fast bowler, he should be bowling at the nets for at least an hour and a half. The more he will bowl at the nets, the more he will improve. He should bowl at least 15 to 20 overs in a day. That’s how you prepare yourself. You are playing for your country, not domestic cricket,” he signed off.

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