T Natarajan set to undergo surgery in Mumbai
What's the story?
After being ruled of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season with an elbow injury, Tamil Nadu fast bowler T Natarajan is now set to undergo a surgery in Mumbai on November 24 and will be out for six weeks following the surgery. The left-arm pacer has an issue with his bowling hand and has been advised to undergo an elbow arthroscopy after consulting a specialist.
Speaking to TOI, Natarajan said: "After examining reports, I was told that it was not advisable to carry on with the existing condition as the issue is with my bowling hand. Thus, I have been asked to undergo an elbow arthroscopic surgery. I will be heading to Mumbai on Thursday and the surgery is on 24th. The last month or so has been quite tough for me. However, the TNCA has guided and supported me exceptionally through these difficult times".
In case you didn't know...
The left-arm pacer garnered plenty of attention when he was bought by Kings XI Punjab for INR 3 crore ahead of IPL 2017 following an impressive outing in the inaugural Tamil Nadu Premier League. Following that, he made his debut for Tamil Nadu across all three formats and formed an impressive partnership with Aswin Crist and K Vignesh.
The heart of the matter
He missed Tamil Nadu's first two matches with knee injury before his comeback to the side. But his return only brought another injury as he ended up missing the rest of the Ranji Trophy after injuring his left elbow.
Following the injury, Natarajan hoped that he could come back strong but admitted that it was disappointing to suffer setbacks in succession. Speaking to Sportskeeda at the time, he thanked the board for backing him during his "tough times". After the surgery in Mumbai, he is expected to begin rehab in Chennai.
What's next?
The pacer is expected to get back in action at the start of next year, he will be hoping to making an impact in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where Tamil Nadu are the defending champions.
Author's take
While it might be difficult to be constantly out of action, especially when you are a fast bowler who is hoping to catch the eye of national selectors, surgery might ultimately be what is best for Natarajan. Consistently being injured isn't easy but it is better to find a permanent solution to the problem instead of going with stop-gap measures.