India in Australia: Natarajan the highlight as India trounce familiar foes

Ignorance is bliss when it comes to dead rubbers. For, there's the golden virtue of pride at stake. India might've zoomed past the sprint fest of three T20Is but Australia gatecrashed to have the last laugh. These love-sloshed feuds between the two powerhouses might give an impression of the bride and groom walking down the T20 World Cup aisle, which arrives in a dozen calendar flips, although in reality, it proved an unyielding litmus test of talent and temperament. India shoved the young artists auditioning for the marquee event into the blast furnace, and while the middle-order found it too hot to handle, speedsters Thangarasu Natarajan and Shardul Thakur thrived in the heat of the battle. 

Der aaye, durust aaye: Natarajan the ace up India's sleeve

In particular, Natarajan's dash to glory is nothing short of a fairytale. His name was only confined to a footnote in BCCI's press release of October 6, 2020, as a net bowler. However, Varun Chakravarthy's popped shoulder saw the left-arm quick being initially pigeonholed into the slam-bang mix. There was no running out of brushes of luck either as Navdeep Saini complained of back spasm and the management rung up Natarajan again to provide cover for the ODIs, the latter of the white-ball leg. Grabbing his opportunities with both hands, Natarajan dexterously duped his way to a dream debut worth 3/30 in his maiden T20I appearance. Another sizzling bag of 2/20 and a competent 1/33 in the remaining rides left India with an ear-to-ear smile on their face. His yorker barrage and a penchant for variation hold Virat Kohli and his troops in fine fettle as preparations get underway for the impending jackpot next year. 

Natarajan's clinical displays left the skipper awash of the joys of spring. "Special mention to Natarajan because in the absence of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, he's been the guy who has stood up and really delivered under pressure which is outstanding for the fact that he's playing his first few games at the international level," Kohli heaped praises on India's elusive left-arm jewel in a virtual media interaction. "He's very composed, very sure of what he wants to do. He's a very hardworking guy, very humble guy, and you feel happy for guys who are committed and working hard for the team when they get the results and make the team win.'', Kohli spoke at length of Natarajan's nous. 

"So, I wish him all the best and I hope that he continues to work hard on his game and continues to get better because a left-arm bowler is always an asset for any team. So if he can bowl that well consistently it will be a great thing for us heading into to the T20 World Cup next year.", the skipper exclaimed to drop an almighty hint in the process. 

Shardul blows rather cold than hot in T20I tango 

Having kick-started his engine in full throttle with a sprightly 3/51 in the final ODI, Shardul Thakur lost the plot of the shortest format after Ravindra Jadeja was out injured. His splurges of 1/39 and 1/43 in the second and third T20I respectively did little to gratify the wishes of the blue jerseys in their quest for redemption. 

Although he could be cut some slack on a few frontiers. For instance, Deepak Chahar spilt an absolute dolly to reprieve Glenn Maxwell off Thakur's penultimate delivery and the hard-hitting typhoon cashed in with a manoeuvred six over mid-wicket off the eventual. Had such bits and pieces of the game's gush fallen in his favour, his returns wouldn't have born that sceptical a look. Moreover, he had the dressing room jumping out of their seats in the series concluder in Sydney as his avatar of the modern tail-ender pulverized a couple of lusty blows over the cow corner fence. Some more cameos from the bottom half and the soothing balm could be lotioned to India's batting depth. 

India run around in circles with nugatory hit and trial 

Analytic overviews of India are unfulfilled without tackling the elephant in the room. Their middle-order has remained a cauldron of concern for a long while now and the Aussie assignment has done its bit in needling fresh scars. Sanju Samson proved a cracker that the world was waiting for to explode, alas it never did. Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer tried recalibrating their techniques to negate the fizzy bounce but the detractors had gained ammunition by then. The cons of cricket in the international arena involve a bull's eye on the back at all times. 

Though a layman who casts the shadows of doubt on the trio's flair must know nothing about the sport, none escaping the fact that the wounds of India's middle-order muscle are deepening and call for a band-aid named Suryakumar Yadav. Whether or not these aspirations materialize though will depend upon the whims and fancies of the selection panel.

Hardik-Jadeja the silver lining to India's cloud

''Hardik Pandya is really priming himself into a top-notch finisher. That is some serious power and poise.'', Ian Bishop tweeted in cognizance of the lean machine's 22-ball 42 which jaunted India home in the second T20I at SCG. Contact Australia for validation, for they've found themselves at the receiving end of his wrath quite often of late. A transition into the finest cadre of range striking which picked up steam during his glorious stint with Mumbai Indians in the 13th edition of the IPL has ensnared a no-mug Kangaroos' attack into its whirlwind. The earth has trembled under their feet whenever Hardik deployed those languid levers to send many a cherry seething into oblivion. Dare you label him a slogger who wields an axe to leave chases hanging in the lurch, for parenthood has infused a sangfroid sense of responsibility and finesse into the method with which he goes about his business. 

"The reason why Hardik came into the team in 2016 was pure ability. He has raw talent. And now he realises that this is his time, the next 4-5 years, to be that bankable player that can win you games from anywhere.'', Kohli waxed lyrical of the superstar in a post-match presser while also laying down the blueprint for the future. 

If Hardik is an epitome of composure at the crease, Ravindra Jadeja too is equal to the task. In fact, he's revolutionized himself into a master of the finishing trade. His bellicose that reaped 42 off 23 balls in the T20I series opener was a testament to the coaching gospels of holding one's shape and letting the hand-eye coordination reign supreme. Stuffed between the wafts and flays laden with aplomb were delicate dabs and cute nudges as if to reiterate that it's not always brute force that caps off the argument. The jet black question mark still looms large over his bowling efficacy and with him being ruled out of contention early, there's not enough of evidence to beat him to the punch in that regard. Upon his resurgence, if he can make a habit of those funky sword celebrations, there's none stopping him from being the first name on the sheet. 

Butter-fingered India embark on a dropping spree

The level of fielding has dealt in extremes through the course of the limited-overs jukebox. Sanju Samson and Steve Smith did turn gladiators on the boundary rope to pull off incredible saves, but the general consensus of catching hit a nadir. Like in other spheres of the game, Kohli led from the front to grass the mother of all sitters, and that too thrice to the utter shock of each involved. A picture speaks a thousand words, they say, and the expressions of fielding coach R Sridhar at the captain's butter-fingered delinquencies vindicated the adage. Hardik, Pandey, Yuzvendra Chahal and Chahar were other culprits, the latter even bearing the brunt of Thakur who minced no words in his disgruntled saunter back to the mark. The wisdom of the commentating crew hinted towards the towering floodlights as the reason behind the flurry of faux pas, since Australia were guilty as well of letting nearly half-a-dozen chances slip, but such an abysmal standard of groundwork is a tough pill to swallow in today's day and age. 

The curtain draws on the coloured-clothing opera and the marathon race lies next in store. Though if you'd have to put a finger on the prettiest takeaway for the visitors, it has to be the rapid bloom of Natarajan. In a crude nutshell, India have struck gold. Albeit, more by accident than by design. 

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