MS Dhoni advised me to use slow cutters and bouncers: T Natarajan

India’s left-arm pacer T Natarajan has been living a fairytale for the past few months as he has been shining bright for India across all three formats. Natarajan announced himself to the cricket fraternity with a stunning season for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2020 hosted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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The bowler impressed the who’s who of the cricket fraternity with his ability to bowl pin-point and toe-crushing yorkers, especially in the death overs. In the 2020 edition of the T20 Extravaganza, the 30-year-old bowled as many as 71 yorkers surpassing the greats of the game including Jasprit Bumrah and Kagiso Rabada.

As the Tamil Nadu star gears up for IPL 2021, he revealed the conversation he shared with former Indian captain MS Dhoni during the previous edition that helped him in improving his game. Natarajan stated that MS told him to work on his fitness and make use of slow bouncers, cutters, and variations.

"Speaking to somebody like Dhoni itself is a big thing. He spoke to me about fitness and encouraged me, saying that I will keep getting better with experience. He said, use slow bouncers, cutters, and variations like that. It has been useful for me," Natarajan was quoted as saying by 'ESPNcricinfo'.

During a game against CSK, Natarajan managed to scalp the wicket of MSD. When asked about the same, the 30-year-old revealed that he didn’t celebrate much as he was more focused on thinking about the six Dhoni had smashed on his previous ball.

Recalling that wicket, he said, "I pitched one in the slot and he hit me for a big six - 102 meters or something. The next ball I got his wicket (and didn't celebrate) -- I was just thinking about that previous ball. After coming back to the dressing room, though, I was happy. After finishing the match, I also had a chat with him."