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Indian fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed was extremely happy with the way his fellow Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer T Natarajan performed for India in the limited-overs series Down Under.
Making his ODI debut at Canberra, Natarajan picked up two wickets and helped India beat Australia to avoid a 3-0 one-day series whitewash.
He continued his rich vein of form in the T20I series as well, picking up six wickets from three games and helping the Men in Blue win the series 2-1.
Khaleel Ahmed was impressed with the way Natarajan restricted the run-scoring of the Australian batsmen, especially at the death.
The 29-year-old was absolutely spot on with his yorkers and even showcased his ability to bowl the quick bouncer. Thus, Khaleel agreed with Hardik Pandya about the fact that Natarajan should have been named the Man of the Series.
"Natarajan bowled really well. He bowled with so much control. He is one of the players who played a big role in India's win. He contributed so well. That's why Pandya said he deserved the Man of the Series award. Natarajan and I have played together at Sunrisers. He is a talented bowler. I am really happy for him," Khaleel Ahmed told TOI.
Win in the T20I series a huge boost for India: Khaleel Ahmed
The Men in Blue did not have the best of starts to their tour of Australia as they ended up losing their first two ODIs at Sydney.
However, India came back to win the third ODI and the subsequent T20I series, and Khaleel Ahmed heaped praise on the team for the kind of character they showed.
Khaleel Ahmed said the morale of the Indian team would be high after the T20I series win. According to him, the Men in Blue will have the much needed momentum going into the Test series.
"Team India looked confident in the series. We lost the ODI series but the win in the third ODI gave the Indian team a lot of confidence. We got the momentum from there. The win in the T20I series will be a huge boost ahead of the Test series. The win will give (the team) a lot of confidence ahead of the Tests," Khaleel Ahmed asserted.
With the limited-overs leg of the tour done and dusted, both India and Australia will have their eyes on the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The first Test between the two nations is set to be played at Adelaide from December 17 and will be a Day-Night encounter.
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