[1] Born in Selangor in 1975,[2] Navaratnam made his debut for Malaysia in 1993, playing in that year's Saudara Cup match against Singapore.
[9] He missed the Suadara Cup match in 2003, but did play in the Stan Nagaiah Trophy, also representing Malaysia against the ECB National Academy.
In 2005, he again played in both the Stan Nagaiah Trophy and Saudara Cup in addition to ACC Fast Track Countries Tournament matches against Singapore, Hong Kong and Nepal.
[5] During the off season in Malaysia, Suresh have featured as a professional player for Mulgrave Cricket Club in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria.
By the end of 2006, Navaratnam had played more than 100 matches for the national team, scoring more runs and taking more wickets than any other player for Malaysia.