Surat: Nataraj Behera is a name synonymous with Odisha cricket for a decade and a half.
Having played 54 first-class games for Odisha and East Zone, besides 37 List A and 16 T20 matches between 2007 and 2017, Nataraj has been guiding youngsters after the end of his domestic playing career.
Now, Nataraj, who used to be a flamboyant top-order batter and led East Zone to the Duleep Trophy title, is back as a player for the newly-formed Konark Suryas Odisha (KSO) who are taking part in Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2024.
The only native Odisha player in the squad, Nataraj is gaining in experience even at the age of 36 by rubbing shoulders with some of the best retired international cricketers.
“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 Sanjeev Srivastava for providing me this opportunity. Not only me, there are other staff in KSO team who are from Odisha. This is a really commendable initiative by the management,” Nataraj said.
“I’m learning how players keep themselves motivated, both on and off the field. Also how we can motivate other players. I have played with some of the players at the domestic level but rarely had such interactions with international players,” said Nataraj, who was part of Kolkata Knight Riders squad in IPL but didn’t get an opportunity to play a match.
“I don’t know whether I will get to play matches for KSO in LLC, but I will surely gain more experience,” Nataraj said.
Asked how he is keeping himself motivated at this age, Nataraj that he loves the game and plays football and badminton to keep himself fit.
“I also play club matches. I can’t keep myself away from 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.
In the LLC, he is looking forward to extracting more knowledge about the game which will help in shaping the careers of young players in the state.