Here's why T Natarajan is not picked in Indian squad for ICC T20 World Cup

The BCCI declared the Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 yesterday. There were some interesting selections made by the selection committee. Some notable names missed out as well. One of them was left-arm fast bowler T Natarajan. 

Natarajan came into the limelight last year after he performed exceptionally well for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team. The left-arm fast bowler soon made his debut for the Indian cricket team in all three formats of the game. 

Unfortunately, he suffered an injury and that kept him out of the action for some time. Natarajan was expected to play for India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. However, the selectors did not pick him. 

Explaining the reason behind the same, chief selector of BCCI, Chetan Sharma said during a virtual press conference:

"Even though we thought, we might not have fixed a left-arm pacer. We talked about T Natarajan, but he hasn’t played cricket for long due to injury, so that is the reason, we stuck to the main guys, who are strike bowlers.”

T Natarajan will play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2nd phase of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League 

While the Indian selection committee did not pick T Natarajan in the T20 World Cup squad, the left-arm pacer will be in action, playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad during the second phase of the 14th season of the Indian Premier League. 

Natarajan missed a few matches during the first phase of IPL 2021 due to injury issues. He will be keen to prove himself in IPL 2021, and if he continues to perform well, Natarajan could possibly receive a place in the Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup next year. 

It will be interesting to see how T Natarajan performs in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League.