T. Natarajan: The Cinderella of Chinnappampatti

On crumbling roads a short drive from the restless city of Salem in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, there lies the forgotten village of Chinnappampatti. Surrounded by dried up fields and farmlands, a lone path cuts through its heart with the sights and sounds of the markets in full swing. An aroma so unique, so particular, that swathes of hungry customers swamp the chicken stall of Thankarasu and Shantha, parents of India’s latest talent to burst onto the global scene, Thangarasu Natarajan. Born into extreme poverty, where his father worked as a power loom worker whilst his mother has never ceased the running of her own road-side shop, the 29 year old pace bowler is one of the world’s most devastating with the ball between his fingers. On his left wrist he bears the tattooed initials ‘J.P’ of who he calls his brother. There may be no blood relation, but had it not been for Jayaprakash, Natarajan would not be the cricketer he is today.

As the eldest of five siblings, three being sisters, Natarajan was justly concerned about taking care of his family. It was the most basic of living, with not even enough money to fund his notebooks and pencils, despite attending a government school. It was during fifth grade of his education that his lust for cricket would begin to transpire - with a tennis ball and ageing bat - and incredibly it would not be until his early twenties that he would adopt the use of a proper cricket ball. Whereas the vast majority of professional cricketers start their journey from a tender age, Natarajan’s story was different, and far more captivating. It was some decade prior that the foundations for his success were laid as, with the help of Jayaprakash, he was presented with the chance of playing lower division cricket in the coastal city of Chennai, a near seven hours from home. In order to fulfil his aspirations of becoming a professional cricketer it was imperative that he took this opportunity, one which would turn out to be the crucial first act.

One may be naive to point out that everything appeared to fall into Natarajan’s lap, but they would be wrong. The money, or lack of it, was a constant hindrance to the left-arm bowler, who could barely even afford the clothes to play in:

“I didn't even have money to travel for training if I was called suddenly…I saved money from my local tournaments to be able to buy something important. There were many struggles like these.”

Still at a fledgling part of his career, Natarajan’s early aim was to play in the Ranji Trophy for his home state of Tamil Nadu, where the conventional route sees cricketers progress upwards through the youth sides. This bowler is far from the conventional. His underlying ability with the ball catered for the quick’s swift arrival into the first XI, becoming the first from Salem to do so ‘for a number of years’. The Ranji Trophy is an established domestic tournament, similar to that of England’s County Championship, marking it a prominent gateway to the Indian national side. An excruciating injury to his elbow in November of 2017 would regrettably write him off for that upcoming season, effectively losing a year of a career which, due to his age, was slowly ebbing away with so much yet to achieve.

The long, protracted road to the national side would instead gain further traction, as the Indian Premier League would come calling. It was in February 2017 that the Punjab Kings XI would splash the equivalent of roughly $450,000 on the table for Natarajan’s services. Not that he would appear for them, as the injury to his elbow would rule him out but, just in a flash, his family’s money troubles had dramatically subsided. The following year, it would be the Hyderabad Sunrisers who would to lock up Natarajan, only for the yorker specialist to finally make his first IPL appearance in 2020. Years of toiling away with Tamil Nadu proudly stitched across his front had ultimately paid off after continuing his journey with his home state. From travelling across the country, playing on every assortment of wicket in every dust bowl in the nation, Natarajan was subsequently selected for India’s highly successful 2020 tour of Australia.

Initially touching down in the Land Down Under as one of four additional bowlers, the wait for an international debut would not last much longer. He would break into the starting side for the third and final ODI in Canberra, taking his first international wicket in the process as Marnus Labuschagne chopped one onto his own stumps. With his mother in the stands, it only further highlighted the power of sport, the power of cricket as the tears of pride and joy flowed down her cheeks as Natarajan came away with figures of 2/70. It would be India’s first win of the tour as they defended a score of 302-5, with his side transitioning to the T20 format just days later at the same venue. The bowler, oozing confidence, would begin to shine, taking six wickets in total as India would wrap up an absorbing 2-1 series win. With that, the name Natarajan would start to echo around the cricketing nations.

The Test debut followed on 15 January 2021, dismissing Matthew Wade for his first Test wicket in the fourth and final match of a series locked at 1-1. Figures of 3-70 in Australia’s first innings would help propel the tourists to a three-wicket-victory. So far, it's a classic ‘rags to riches’ story, anyone who has strived as hard for success as Natarajan deserves his time in the spotlight. Known now for his vicious yorker-length deliveries, his past remains ingrained with every ball:

“I just cannot practice with a cone or a shoe as a target. If a batsman is there, then I can bowl six yorkers out of six balls. I don’t have a big secret; it’s only bowling with tennis balls.”

Having played the final ODI against England only a short while ago, he let neither his nation nor his side down as he bowled the final over to a batsman in Sam Curran who was in sensational form, defending the 14 runs which in turn gave the hosts victory in Pune. To be presented with such a high-leverage position portrays the level of trust that captain Virat Kohli instills into the bowler who, although now approaching his 30th birthday, still has an immeasurable amount to prove. Natarajan will once more be bowling in the orange of Hyderabad at the upcoming IPL, to further cement his place amongst a rather congested Indian setup. Wherever the sport takes him, it will always be for his family, but more so his brother, Jayaprakash, who, with his initials forever rooted on his forearm, will be a part of Natarajan on all his future cricket endeavours to serve as a reminder as to where it all began.