IPL 2021: T Natarajan undergoes knee surgery, shares picture from hospital

India and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) left-arm seamer T Natarajan has undergone knee surgery. The cricketer shared a picture of himself from the hospital after the procedure.

SRH suffered a big blow, as T Natarajan was ruled out of IPL 2021 due to a knee injury. He featured in only two matches for the franchise, doing so against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He was rested for the third match before he was ruled out of the tournament.

Taking to his official Twitter account, T Natarajan shared a picture of himself while displaying the thumbs-up sign. He also thanked the doctors for looking after him well and the BCCI. T Natarajan’s post in this regard read:

"Today, I underwent knee surgery - and am grateful for the expertise, attention and kindness of the medical team, surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff. I’m grateful to @bcci and to all that have wished well for me."

A few days back, T Natarajan, while bidding adieu to SRH for the season, expressed a tinge of disappointment, saying that he had come to the tournament with high expectations. In an emotional video message, T Natarajan had said:

"Hi, this is Natarajan. I'm sad to miss the remaining games in this year's IPL. Since I played well last year and went on to play for India, my expectations were high. Unfortunately, I will have to undergo knee surgery and will miss this season."

He also thanked the SRH franchise for their support and motivation and wished them luck for the remainder of the season. T Natarajan added:

"Thank you to the SRH family - support staff and players. They supported and motivated me a lot. I'm going to miss the SRH family this season. I have no words to say right now. I wish Sunrisers to go out and win every game this season. Best wishes."

T Natarajan’s recent tryst with injuries

T Natarajan battled knee and shoulder injuries ahead of the home series against England as well. He underwent rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru before joining the Indian team.

T Natarajan played in only one T20I and one ODI during the series against England. Although he conceded 73 runs in the deciding ODI in Pune, he held his nerve against a rampant Sam Curran in the last over of the match, which ensured a thrilling win for India.

The 30-year-old also played a key role in SRH making the IPL playoffs last year, taking 16 wickets in as many matches at an economy rate of just over eight.