'They'd be silly not to look at him': Michael Vaughan urges Indian selectors to keep an eye on T Natarajan

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer T Natarajan has been impressive so far in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. The left-arm pacer has been the leading wicket-taker for his franchise and has continued his heroics in the death overs once again this season. Natarajan, who is known for his ability to nail perfect yorkers under pressure, is one of the best death over bowlers in the tournament at present.

Natarajan had risen to prominence after his brilliant campaign with SRH in IPL 2020 where he picked up 16 wickets in 16 matches for his team and was later called up in the Indian team. Natarajan went on to have an impressive tour of Australia with the Indian team and made his limited-overs and Test debut on the same tour.

However, his progress was hampered due to injuries and fitness issues as he had to spend several months on the sidelines. Natarajan managed to play only 2 matches in IPL 2021 for SRH and was later released by the franchise. However, he was bought back for Rs 4 crore (INR 40 million) at the mega auction and has returned to his best once again this year.

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Natarajan finished with figures of 3/37 in SRH's clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday as he helped his side attain a comfortable 7-wicket win against the Shreyas Iyer-led side. He has so far picked up 11 wickets in just 5 games this season and is the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament so far.

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Lauding him for his bowling heroics, former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged the Indian selectors to keep an eye on Natarajan and ensure that he is in the scheme of things for the national team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 this year. Vaughan said the selectors will be silly not to look at Natarajan as he brings variety with his left-arm pace.

"Looking at India, I think they'd be silly not to look at him. He's a left-armer; the angle that the left-armers bring bowling in the backend of the innings when the pitches just start to grip, they can protect certain sections of the ground," Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.

"A number of good T20 teams have one or two left-arm seamers in their attacks. If I was an Indian selector, I would be keeping a close eye on him," added the former England skipper.

Also Read:Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram guide Sunrisers Hyderabad to victory over Kolkata Knight Riders

After losing their first two games in a row, Sunrisers Hyderabad have managed to find the winning momentum in IPL 2022 as they have now clinched their last three games in a row. The Kane Williamson-led side is placed seventh on the points table at present.