Surat, Sep 30: Nataraj Behera, a name synonymous with cricket in Odisha for a decade and a half. Once a flamboyant top order batter for the state, he is now guiding young cricketers in Odisha.
After his career at the domestic level and then coaching for quite some years, Nataraj is now back as a player in the newly-formed KonarkSuryasOdisha (KSO), which is part of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2024.
Nataraj is the only native Odisha player in the team and is gaining new experience by being with some of the best retired international players.
In a one-on-one interview, Nataraj expressed his excitement of being in the team and how he will gain further experience by being in the side.
I Love Cricket
When asked about his cricketing journey and how he is keeping himself motivated at this age, Nataraj replied, “As a sportsman I love cricket. I also like to play football and badminton to keep myself fit at this age. I also play club matches. I can’t keep myself away from cricket. People also got to know about me through cricket.”
“I would say, I breathe cricket, it’s my life. Whether it’s morning or evening time, you will always find me attached to cricket,”he added.
Grateful for the opportunity
Nataraj expressed his happiness of being a part of the team and applauded Odisha Cricket Association and KSO management for providing him such an opportunity.
He said, “I would like to thank the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA), mostly its Secretary Sanjay Behera, and Assotech Group, the owner of KSO, and its managing director SanjeevSrivastava for providing me such an opportunity. Not only me, but there are also other staff in KSO team who are from Odisha. This is a really commendable initiative by the management.”
New experience and new learnings
“I have been with Kolkata Knight Riders team (in IPL). Although I never got an opportunity to play for them, the experience helped me in the later part of my career. I don’t know whether I will get to play matches over here but I will surely gain more experience,” Nataraj said.
“I’m learning how players keep themselves motivated, both on the field and off the field. Even how we can motivate other players. I have played with some of the players at the domestic level but I never had such interactions with the international players,”he pointed out.
Sharing experience with youngsters
With an aim to share his experience with youngsters in Odisha, Nataraj remains grounded and is always looking forward to extracting more knowledge about cricket which will lead to shaping the careers of players in the state.
This is a platform for players who still love to remain connected with cricket. This is for them. They will enjoy the game while being part of the league. Whatever I will learn while playing or while watching others play, I will always try to convey it to the youngsters in our state, he stated.
“I will further stay connected with cricket. I have been coaching for quite some time. I have been part of the coaching staff of the Odisha senior and junior teams as well. And I will always keep myself motivated to participate in such leagues” Nataraj stated.
