“I found that very odd” – Shane Warne questions T Natarajan’s big no-balls in Brisbane

Shane Warne has raised concerns about the number of no-balls bowled by Indian pacer T Natarajan during the Brisbane Test. Warne admitted that the left-arm pacer's seven no-balls, with five of them coming off the first ball of his over, were surprising.

T Natarajan made his Test debut for India in the series decider in Brisbane. The fast bowler struggled with overstepping throughout the Test match, as he bowled six no-balls in the 1st innings. Interestingly, five of his no-balls came on the first ball of his over.

After T Natarajan bowled his seventh no-ball of the Test on Day 4, Shane Warne on Fox Cricket admitted he was perplexed by the incident.

“Just something interesting that’s caught my eye when Natarajan was bowling, he’s bowled seven no-balls in this match and they’ve all been big ones. And five of them have been off the first ball — and they’re miles over. I found that very odd. We’ve all bowled no-balls, but five of them off the first ball of an over, it’s just interesting.”

Is Shane Warne implying something is going on with Natarajans ‘big no balls’ on first ball of several overs? #AUSvIND

— simon hughes (@theanalyst) January 18, 2021

Shane Warne is wittering on about no balls & Natarajan as if this is Covid. Simple explanation: He's been a net bowler for the last month. #AUSvIND

— Tunku Varadarajan (@tunkuv) January 18, 2021

Shane Warne’s comments on-air have attracted controversy multiple times in the series. The former cricketer got caught in a fix after his expletive-ridden rant on Marnus Labuschagne’s batting style went viral online earlier.

After his latest comments on T Natarajan, Indian fans slammed Warne on social media for indirectly suggesting that the former may be involved in spot-fixing.

T Natarajan had a solid Test debut for India

✅ Two Test debutants✅ Two three-wicket haulsNicely done, @Sundarwashi5 and @Natarajan_91! 👏#AUSvIND | https://t.co/oDTm20rn07 pic.twitter.com/kqifFEyMUq

— ICC (@ICC) January 16, 2021

Though Natarajan struggled during the game's initial phase, he grew into the match as the day went on. T Natarajan sealed three wickets in the 1st innings before going wicketless in the 2nd.

He showed great temperament to take responsibility during the Brisbane Test, particularly after getting thrown into the deep end following injuries to other Indian pacers.

This interaction is all heart ❤️ courtesy @ashwinravi99 & @Natarajan_91 🎙️I am happy at the moment. Never expected to play a Test for India on this tour: Natarajan pic.twitter.com/jhCWksJffS

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 17, 2021

Addressing Shane Warne’s comments on T Natarajan, other commentators suggested that his no-balls at the start of the game could be due to lack of match practice.

Notably, T Natarajan last played a competitive game for India on December 8, when he was part of the T20 side. Others said that T Natarajan’s no-balls could also because he incorrectly marked his run-up before bowling.