Saurabh Netravalkar turned hero for United States (USA) cricket after defeating Pakistan in the Super Over in the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. Netravalkar performed brilliantly as USA defeated Pakistan in their very first match in T20Is. The left-arm pacer kept his composure under pressure and showed what he is capable of.
After USA opted to field first, Netravalkar finished the match with figures of 4-0-18-2. He took the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed, helping USA restrict Pakistan to 159 for 7. Netravalkar’s work didn’t end there, as he was tasked with bowling the Super Over. USA had to defend 18 runs in the one-over eliminator, so Netravalkar didn’t let the Pakistani batsmen do much work.
Netravalkar made full use of his experience and stopped the best batsmen like Shadab Khan, Iftikhar and Fakhar Zaman in the Super Over. USA will be full of confidence after defeating both Canada and Pakistan to top the table. Netravalkar is a left-arm fast bowler who was born on 16 October 1991 in Mumbai. He also played first-class cricket for Mumbai and is a good friend of Suryakumar Yadav. Netravalkar, a 32-year-old left-arm fast bowler, has lived a life that breaks the traditional boundaries between sports and technique. Netravalkar’s cricket career started in a great way, he represented India in the Under-19 World Cup in 2010 along with notable players like KL Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat and Mayank Agarwal.
However, soon he faced a lack of opportunities in the Indian cricket scene, which led him to pursue higher education in the United States. Netravalkar moved to the USA to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at Cornell University. This is where his dual life as a professional cricketer and a software engineer began.
After completing his postgraduate studies, he got a lucrative job at Oracle, a leading technology firm. In 2019, Netravalkar made his international debut for the USA, and quickly rose through the ranks to become the captain of the USA. He has been an opening bowler for the USA, comfortable with both the new ball and the late stages of limited-overs cricket. His experience of playing for the Washington Freedom in the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket (MLC) has further honed his skills.
