'You could only imagine his heart-rate': Michael Vaughan hails T Natarajan for acing yorkers in incredible last over

India vs England: With England needing 14 to win, Natarajan held his nerve and gave away just six runs to help India win a last-ball thriller.

While everyone continues talking about Rishabh Pant and his brilliant batting, or Shardul Thakur's 4/67, T Natarajan, who bowled the all-important 50th over of the innings, almost remains an afterthought. The left-arm pacer, who had gone for 67 runs from nine overs, was given the responsibility of bowling to a well-set Sam Curran in the final over of the match, with England needing 14 to win and 13 to tie.

Virat Kohli hugs T Natarajan after the left-arm quick defended 14 off the last over. (BCCI)

With just two wickets left, Natarajan had only one option to go to, the ball that made him famous in the IPL – the yorker, and the left-arm seamer did exactly that. Natarajan held his nerve and gave away just six runs to help India win a last-ball thriller. Former England captain Michael Vaughan called the yorker a dying art, and while explaining its importance, credited Natarajan for getting them right.

"It’s a dying art. In the era of white-ball cricket being so dominant, so many T20 leagues around the world and these players are playing so much of it, you would think that there are a lot of bowlers who can nail the yorkers. It is still the hardest ball to hit right at the end. If you miss it, of course, you are going to go into the stand. If you’ve got the calmness and the skill level to bowl the yorker under pressure, you go back to Lasith Malinga, Brett Lee towards the backend," Vaughan said in a video on Cricbuzz.

The 47th over had gone for 18 runs, but three tight overs from there, gave India a sneak through the door. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled the 48th over for four runs and Hardik Pandya bowled the penultimate over, giving away five runs. With 14 needed off six, Natarajan landed the ball right in the yorker zone, preventing Curran from taking the singles. With 12 needed off last two balls, Curran hit Natarajan for a four, making it to eight needed off one.

"It’s still the hardest ball to get under and that’s what Sam Curran needed. He just needed a little bit of elevation to get under the ball and Natarajan held his nerves. He’s got that trajectory – a little bit lower and skiddier and he angles them into the pads of Sam Curran. You could only imagine the heart-rate of Natarajan when he’s throwing that ball and he’s got to deliver that skill with billions watching. Full credit to him for nailing the yorker right," Vaughan added.