T Natarajan posts inspirational message after India’s ODI series win

Team India left-arm seamer T Natarajan has shared an inspirational message after the team’s close seven-run triumph over England in the third ODI in Pune on Sunday.

T Natarajan bowled the last over of the final ODI against England, with the visitors needing 14 to win. The left-arm seamer held his nerve under pressure, conceding only six runs as India clinched the series 2-1.

Taking to his official Twitter account to share his emotions, T Natarajan posted:

“If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it. Congratulations #TeamIndia #3-0 #Champions.”

Along with the message, he also shared pictures of Team India players posing with the series win after their ODI triumph against England.

Batting first in the deciding one-dayer in Pune after losing the toss. Rishabh Pant (78), Shikhar Dhawan (67) and Hardik Pandya (64) were the star performers with the bat as the hosts posted 329.

India could have got more but for a lower-order batting collapse which saw them lose their last four wickets for eight runs. Mark Wood impressed for England with 3 for 34.

England, in response, got off to a poor start in their chase. Jason Roy (14), Jonny Bairstow (1), Ben Stokes (35) and Jos Buttler (15) all fell before the visitors crossed the 100 mark.

Dawid Malan chipped in with his maiden ODI fifty, but at 200 for 7, the match was firmly in India’s grip. Sam Curran, however, made a scintillating unbeaten 95 off 83 balls to give the hosts a massive scare. Eventually, it needed the composure of T Natarajan to see India through.

If you are persistent,you will get it.If you are consistent, you will keep it. Congratulations #TeamIndia #3-0 #Champions 🇮🇳 @BCCI pic.twitter.com/XheKhv5qxZ

— Natarajan (@Natarajan_91) March 29, 2021

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Michael Vaughan hails T Natarajan for his brilliant last over

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has praised T Natarajan for his excellent last over in the final ODI on Sunday. Against a rampant Curran, the left-arm seamer got his yorkers right to deny England a thrilling win.

In a video on Cricbuzz, Vaughan said in this regard:

"It’s a dying art (yorker). In the era of white-ball cricket being so dominant, so many T20 leagues around the world and these players are playing so much of it, you would think that there are a lot of bowlers who can nail the yorkers. It is still the hardest ball to hit right at the end. If you miss it, of course, you are going to go into the stands. If you’ve got the calmness and the skill level to bowl the yorker under pressure, you go back to Lasith Malinga, Brett Lee towards the backend."

Vaughan continued:

"It’s still the hardest ball to get under, and that’s what Sam Curran needed. He just needed a little bit of elevation to get under the ball, and T Natarajan held his nerves. He’s got that trajectory – a little bit lower and skiddier, and he angles them into the pads of Sam Curran. You could only imagine the heart-rate of Natarajan when he’s throwing that ball, and he’s got to deliver that skill with billions watching. Full credit to him for nailing the yorker right".

WE ARE ONE TEAM !! #TeamIndia #Champions 🇮🇳🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/3Ij6TpVe1T

— Natarajan (@Natarajan_91) March 21, 2021

T Natarajan will now represent Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. It was his impressive performance in the T20 league last year that kickstarted his international career for India.