Saurabh Netravalkar: The engineer who bowled USA to famous win over Pakistan in T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI: Where dreams are woven with every delivery, Saurabh Netravalkar etched his name in history with a spellbinding performance that propelled Team USA to a stunning victory over former champions Pakistan in Dallas in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
While defending 18 runs in the Super Over, the cricketer-turned-engineer Netravalkar defied all odds and shattered the expectations of hundreds and thousands of Pakistanis on Thursday.
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The Past: Babar vs Netravalkar
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.
Early Struggles
Born in Mumbai, India, Netravalkar's journey began with a love for the game that burned brighter than the city's neon lights. A part of the India U19 setup and a domestic cricketer for Mumbai, he faced the harsh reality of intense competition that often overshadows talent in a cricket-obsessed nation. Undeterred, he embarked on a path less travelled, seeking opportunities beyond the boundaries of his homeland.
It was in the United States that Netravalkar found his calling, embracing the challenge of representing a nation where cricket was still finding its footing. With a towering frame and a quirky left-arm pace, he possessed the ability to extract disconcerting bounce and movement, leaving batters perplexed and stumps scattered.
Netravalkar's journey was not without its obstacles. Balancing his passion for cricket with his profession as a Senior Software Engineer at Oracle, he navigated the complexities of odd work hours and tours, coding on team buses and squeezing in practice sessions whenever possible.
Yet, his unwavering dedication and love for the game fueled
