Prior to the 2024 T20 World Cup, India-born USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar had gone viral on social media due to being an engineer at American company Oracle. Now, Netravalkar has turned into a household name after his heroics. Netravalkar bowled a brilliant Super Over to win the game for USA against Pakistan, and then dismissed India stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the next game. That has prompted Oracle to congratulate their employee, and their wholesome interaction went viral on X.
"So proud of our very own AI engineer and cricket star Saurabh Netravalkar! USA making history in the T20 World Cup," Oracle tweeted from their official X account.
Netravalkar was quick to thank Oracle for allowing him to pursue his cricket career in spite of work commitments.
"Thank you so much Oracle for your support in enabling me to pursue my passion alongside my tech career!" replied Netravalkar.
The heartwarming interaction went viral as many aspiring engineers in India celebrated Netravalkar's achievements. Many even asked Oracle to grant him an extended leave!
"Please raise his pay by 60%," replied one user.
"Allow him to focus on his game and free him from all the deadlines," posted another fan.
Netravalkar and the USA sealed qualification to the Super 8 stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup after their abandoned tie against Ireland ensured that they will finish with more points than Pakistan.
The Mumbai-born left-arm seamer, who played for India in the 2010 U19 World Cup, has picked up four wickets in three games in the ongoing T20 World Cup, at an economy of just 5.20.
USA will be in Group 2 of the Super 8 stage, alongside South Africa, West Indies and either England or Scotland. It has been a dream debut on the global stage for USA.