September 13, 2024

India Star Out of Test Cricket as Suthar Shines in Formidable Total

India’s cricket scene sees mixed developments as one star steps away from Test cricket while another shines brightly. T Natarajan, who played a key role in India’s historic series win in Australia, has decided to focus solely on white-ball cricket due to workload issues. Meanwhile, Manav Suthar is making waves with his all-round skills, helping India C post a strong total in the Duleep Trophy. As the team navigates these changes, fans are eager to see how these players adapt and perform.

India Star, Key to Historic Australia Series Win, Now Out of Test Cricket

As the Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaches in Australia, T Natarajan, a standout from India’s historic series victory in the last tour, has announced his decision to step away from red ball cricket. The pacer, who played his only Test during the fourth match of the 2020/21 series, cited overwhelming workload issues at 33 years old as the reason for his absence from first-class matches since his debut.

“It has been almost four years since I played red-ball cricket. It is not that I do not want to play red-ball cricket, but I feel that it makes my workload heavier,” said Natarajan, speaking to The Times of India.

“Right now, I am avoiding red-ball cricket. When the workload is heavy, I am having issues on my knee. So, I have stopped playing,” he added.

During his Test debut against Australia, Natarajan took three wickets. He mentioned that although he is currently focused on white-ball cricket, his passion for red-ball cricket remains strong. As a result, he still hopes to return to playing in whites someday.

“I love red-ball cricket more than white-ball cricket. If things go to plan, I will play after a few years. If I train well for the next two years, there are chances for me to return,” he said.

In white-ball cricket, Natarajan excelled in IPL 2024 while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who finished as runners-up. In this record-breaking tournament, he claimed 19 wickets in 14 matches, maintaining a solid economy rate of 9.05.

Natarajan has represented India in two ODIs and four T20Is.

Suthar showcases his all-round skills in India’s formidable total

On a day when batters took center stage, Manav Suthar demonstrated his all-around abilities as India C set a massive first innings total in Anantapur. In reply, India B made a strong comeback, with their new opening duo of Abhimanyu Easwaran and N Jagadeesan finishing with unbeaten half-centuries by the end of the day.

Suthar, coming off a match-winning seven-wicket haul in India C’s Duleep Trophy 2024-25 opener, continued to shine on Thursday, adding to Ishan Kishan’s century. Starting the day with 8 runs, Suthar reached his fourth half-century in first-class cricket but fell 14 runs short of his personal best of 96 not out.

He was the final batter to be dismissed as India C, starting the day at 357 for 5 and ending with 525 runs. Along with Kishan and Suthar, B Indrajith and Ruturaj Gaikwad contributed half-centuries. Anshul Kamboj, the all-rounder from Haryana, added a quick 38 runs off just 27 balls during his 56-run partnership with Suthar, further boosting their total.

Suthar’s Rajasthan teammate Rahul Chahar was one of the top bowlers for India B, taking 4 wickets for 73 runs. Mukesh Kumar, who started the day by bowling out Gaikwad, also finished with four wickets.

After getting out for a low score while trying to drive at Chinnaswamy last week, Abhimanyu must feel relieved to have improved his performance. He faced 145 balls and hit seven fours, and he will return on day three aiming for his 24th first-class century.

For Jagadeesan, stepping in for Rishabh Pant, this opportunity to play couldn’t have come at a better time. He is looking to revive his first-class career, which had been at a standstill not long ago.

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