The USA men’s cricket team scripted history by beating Pakistan in an enthralling group clash of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The Americans emerged victorious after holding back Pakistan in a nail-biting super-over. Saurabh Netravalkar, the left-arm medium-fast bowler, who bowled the super-over defending 18 runs by conceding only 13 runs, rose as the hero of the match for Team USA.
Netravalkar pulled off impressive figures of 4-0-18-2 and took the ball in the Super Over, helping the USA beat Pakistan at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
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Here are the lesser-known facts about Saurabh Netravalkar:
Indian Roots
- Saurabh Naresh Netravalkar was born in the Indian city of Mumbai on October 16, 1991.
- Netravalkar represented India in the Under-19 cricket team where he played alongside KL Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mayank Agarwal.
- He played for Mumbai in first-class cricket. He featured in the Ranji Trophy in 2013 along with Indian cricketer Surya Kumar Yadav and both of them are good friends.
- Saurabh Netravalkar also took to the pitch for Mumbai for a List A match against Baroda in 2014.
- Netravalkar scalped 30 wickets in six games in the Cooch Behar Trophy in 2008-09. He was the leading wicket-taker in the Under-19 tri-nation tournament in South Africa just before the World Cup in New Zealand, with eight wickets.
Also Read: USA Overcome Super Over Hurdle To Earn A Historic Win Against Pakistan
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The American Dream
- As high as the competition is in India, Netravalkar did not find too many cricketing opportunities in India. He then moved to the USA to pursue his further education.
- Saurabh Netravalkar got a Master’s degree in Computer Science at Cornell University.
- After his post-graduation, he landed a lucrative job at Oracle, a top technology firm. The engineer currently works as a ‘Principal Member of Technical Staff’ with Oracle.
International Cricket Career
- Despite a busy professional career as a techie, Netravalkar did not lose his passion for cricket. The cricket in him got bigger and better. He pursued the game in the new country by donning American colors and set out for an international career.
- He made his International debut in a T20 match while playing for the USA against the UAE at ICCA Dubai on March 15, 2019.
- Saurabh Netravalkar made his ODI debut against PNG at Windhoek on April 27, 2019.
- In the inaugural edition of the Major Cricket League (MLC), Saurabh Netravalkar played for the Washington Freedoms.
Also Read: David Warner Becomes Leading Run Scorer For Australia In T20 Cricket
The techie-turned-cricketer has become the talk of the town, especially in his home country India. What made it sweeter for the Indians was that his exceptional performance came against Pakistan, India’s arch-rivals.
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