Ex-coach Ravi Shastri names the lucky charm India missed at 2021 T20 World Cup

The 2021 T20 World Cup was the last ICC tournament of coach Ravi Shastri’s India tenure. Virat Kohli’s India did not qualify for the semi-finals after losses against Pakistan and New Zealand in the group stage. 

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Former India coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday named a key player the team was missing in the World Cup campaign. He further praised the specialist death bowler’s performance in IPL 2022. 

Shastri was talking about T Natarajan, who plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The left-arm pacer picked two wickets, giving away 26 runs in the team’s latest game against the Lucknow Super Giants. He has recorded figures of 2/43 in the first match. 

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Natarajan missed the T20 World Cup last year owing to a shoulder injury he sistained during England’s tour of India. However, the 31-year-old seems to have regained full fitness. He is expected to play a key role in India’s campaign in the 2022 World Cup. 

“Very happy for him. We missed him in the World Cup. He would’ve been a certainty had he been fit. He got injured against England when we were playing the ODI series and we really missed him (in the World Cup). He’s that specialist death bowler, bowls those yorkers very skillfully. He’s got great control. He is skiddy. A bit quicker than you think and hits the bat,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.

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T Natarajan had travelled with the Indian team to Australia during the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2021. However, with several players injured, he got a chance and helped India win the Test series. 

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“Every game I’ve picked him we won. In his debut in T20, India win. In his debut in Test cricket, India win. From a net bowler, he played those other two formats,” Shastri called Natarajan a lucky charm.