The cricket world witnessed one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history (be it T20 or ODI) as the USA stunned Pakistan in the first group match on Thursday night. It took a special Super Over performance from Mumbai-born USA Saurabh Netravalkar to leave Babar Azam-led Pakistan in shock. Netravalkar was given the responsibility of defending 18 overs in the single-elimination over in Dallas after the scores were tied in the 40-over match. Netravalkar defied all odds and led the United States to victory. He kept his cool and bowled brilliantly to give away just 13 runs to seal a famous win.
A man who once donned an India jersey as a youngster, Netravalkar dashed Pakistan’s hopes of getting off to a perfect start in the 2024 T20 World Cup, instilling hopes in all budding cricketers aspiring to play on the global stage.
Who is Saurabh Netravalkar?
Born in Mumbai on October 16, 1991, Netravalkar played for the Indian U-19 team in the 2010 World Cup. But competing in India did not allow him to hone his talent further. The left-arm pacer is one of the bowlers who can produce pace and bounce off any type of surface, and that’s what he did against Pakistan on Thursday.
The former Indian Under-19 cricketer came to the USA in 2015, and after about 9 years, he made history in the sport he aspired to make his career in. Netravalkar also played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai and is a former teammate. India’s top stars include KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat and Sandeep Sharma.
It is Saurabh Netravalkar, who led the United States to victory over Pakistan in the Super Cup #PakvsUSA pic.twitter.com/vKq6YkopPE
– Mimi Farmer (@craziestlazy) June 6, 2024
Not only was Netravalkar a talented cricketer but also a brilliant engineer, he had to balance sports with his career as a senior software engineer at Oracle. While programming for the organization remained his primary job, his passion remained cricket, and balancing the two remained the more complex task. It was his determination that saw him cope brilliantly with both, and in the 2024 T20 World Cup, he played a crucial role in making history for the USA.
In 2010, Netravalkar wore the Indian jersey in the Under-19 World Cup, where a young Babar’s Pakistan dashed their hopes. The loss was a bitter pill. 14 years later, Netravalkar, now a cornerstone of Team USA, has penned a poetic reflection on the 2024 T20 World Cup. Extremely exciting bowling, led USA to a stunning win over Babar’s Pakistan.
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