IND v AUS 2020: Is T Natarajan the answer to India's tireless search for a left-arm pacer?

It is no mystery to anyone that follows Indian cricket closely that India has, for long, been in search for a quality left-arm bowling option to their pace attack. There is no rocket science behind it: India simply have not produced quality left-arm pacers in some time. It's a question that has been posed to every selection committee we have had over the years, but none have been able to find the right personnel.

In the selection committee's defence, one can argue that they have tried constantly in bringing in options and experimenting. The lack of left-arm pacers over the years has meant that even half-decent bowlers were noticed simply because of the angle they possess.

The likes of Barinder Sran, Jaydev Unadkat, Khaleel Ahmed, and Sreenath Aravind have all gone on to play for India, but none of them managed to hold on to their spots and show consistency for long periods. For a country that has had its share of quality left-arm pacers in the past, the current scarcity in the department is quite baffling.

India in the 2000-2014 period boasted of some high-quality left-arm pacers like Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, RP Singh, and Ashish Nehra, but the quality of these talents has dipped massively ever since.

Can T Natarajan bring an end to this long quest?

Natarajan bowled the most yorkers in IPL 2020 [ Pic Credit: IPLT20.com]

T Natarajan has climbed up the ladder very quickly owing to a stellar IPL 2020. The Salem-born pacer caught the attention of fans and analysts alike by showing off his impeccable ability to nail yorkers at will.

Natarajan bowled crucial overs for SRH at the death against some of the most prolific batsmen, and more often than not this season, he came out triumphant. The skillset he displayed over the course of the league is something that is in high demand in limited-overs cricket at the moment, and that has seen him fast-tracked into the national team.

Natarajan, who was only supposed to travel with the squad as a net bowler, was added to the T20I squad after Varun Chakravarthy had to be left out due to injury.

We have seen him bowl with a lot of success in the @IPL and here is @Natarajan_91 bowling in the #TeamIndia nets for the first time after his maiden India call-up! A dream come true moment. 👏 pic.twitter.com/WqrPI0Ab7I

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 15, 2020

The question that arises very quickly in everyone's mind is whether Natarajan has that something different as compared to the left-arm pacers that India have tried in recent times.

The answer remains unknown for now, but there is a lot to be impressed with, at the moment. The ability to nail a yorker consistently is not something that a lot of people can boast of, and that is why there is a special sense of aura around Natarajan already.

The Indian fans are excited at the prospect of seeing Bumrah and Natarajan bowling together at the death. [Credits:iplt20.com]

Natarajan nailed 20 yorkers in this edition of the IPL, and to put that effort into perspective, Tom Curran was next on the list with 7. This is outstanding in itself, simply because of the accuracy that one needs to possess to hit the yorker length with that kind of consistency.

Bowling yorkers regularly put you in a different league altogether, and if a bowler can do that, he brings that much more value to the line-up. Bumrah, for one, is considered world-class because of the longevity and his ability to maintain that consistency during the most difficult periods of the game.

As for Natarajan, he is still a long way off the top of the charts, but has made a case for himself in a short period of time. Add to that the fact that he is a left-arm pacer, and his stocks rise even further. The challenge now will be to show prolonged consistency in his art.

For a country that is desperately in search of left-arm pacers, the rise of Natarajan gives them a new sense of belief. The Indian team management will be hoping that the man from Tamil Nadu lives up to the hype.