The cricket world witnessed one of the biggest upsets in the history of World Cups (be it T20 or ODI) as the USA stunned Pakistan in a Group A clash on Thursday night. It needed a special Super Over performance by Mumbai-born Saurabh Netravalkar of the USA to leave the Babar Azam-led Pakistan in shock. Netravalkar was tasked with the responsibility of defending 18 runs in the one-over eliminator in Dallas after scores were tied in the 40-over game. Netravalkar defied all odds and steered the USA to victory. He kept his cool and bowled brilliantly to give away just 13 runs for a famous win.
The man who once donned the India jersey as a junior, Netrvalakar shattered Pakistan's hopes of going off to a perfect start in the T20 World Cup 2024, instilling hopes in all those budding cricketers who aspire to play at the global stage.
Who is Saurabh Netravalkar?
Born in Mumbai on October 16, 1991, Netravalkar even played for the Indian U19 team in the 2010 World Cup. But, the competition in India didn't allow him to further hone his talent. The left-arm pacer is one of those bowlers who can produce pace and bounce from any kind of surface, and that is what he did against Pakistan on Thursday.
The former India U19 cricketer came to the United States of America in 2015, and about 9 years later, he made history in the sport he aspired to make a career in. Netravalkar has also played a Ranji Trophy game for Mumbai and is a former teammate of senior India stars KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, and Sandeep Sharma.
Not just a talented cricketer but also a brilliant engineer, Netravalkar had to balance the sport and his profession as a Senior Software Engineer at Oracle. While coding for the organisation remained his primary job, his passion remained in cricket, and balancing both remained the most complex task. It was his determination that saw him brilliantly handle both, and in the T20 World Cup 2024, he played a crucial role in USA making history.
In 2010, Netravalkar donned the Indian jersey at the U19 World Cup, where a young Babar's Pakistan dashed their hopes. The loss was a bitter pill. Fast forward 14 years, Netravalkar, now a cornerstone of the USA team, scripted a poetic reversal at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Bowling a sensational Super Over, he led the USA to a stunning victory over Babar's Pakistan.