Saurabh Netravalkar ( Source : Getty Images )
Saurabh Netravalkar, a Mumbai-born cricketer-turned-software engineer, helped the United States of America (USA) to register a historic victory against Pakistan in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
Netravalkar’s exceptional bowling performance, both in the main match and the Super Over, showed his ability to perform under pressure and cemented his name as a hero for the USA cricket team.
Netravalkar’s cricket journey began in Mumbai, where he represented India in the U19 World Cup 2010 alongside notable players like KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. He even played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai against Karnataka in 2013.
However, due to limited opportunities in Indian cricket, the left-arm pacer decided to pursue higher education in the United States, moving there to study Computer Science at Cornell University.
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Saurabh Netravalkar turns Super Over hero for the USA
While pursuing his passion for cricket, he simultaneously built a successful career as a software engineer, currently working as a Principal Engineer at Oracle. In 2018, he was selected to play for the USA cricket team, and in February 2019, he was appointed as the captain. In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Global Qualifier B tournament held in Zimbabwe, he became the first bowler to pick a five-wicket haul for America in T20 cricket.
In the USA vs PAK clash, Netravalkar finished with impressive figures of 2/18 in his allotted four overs, restricting Pakistan to 159/7. His wickets included the crucial scalps of Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed. The match ended in a tie, and Netravalkar was given the responsibility of bowling the Super Over.
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He held his nerve and restricted the Men in Green batters, defending 18 runs. In the Super Over, he again got the wicket of Ahmed and secured a memorable victory for the USA. Following this win, the United States now leads Group A’s leaderboard with four points. They will face India in their next clash on June 12 in New York.