As Saurabh Netravalkar orchestrated the United States of America’s stunning victory over Pakistan at the ICC World T20 2024, the Oracle engineer’s LinkedIn profile created a buzz on social media. On the 6th of June at Grand Prairie Stadium, the USA defeated Pakistan in a Super-Over thriller. USA defeating former champions Pakistan was one of the major upsets in T20 World Cup history and has left the Pakistani fans shocked.
How Saurabh Netravalkar coded the script of the USA’s win over Pakistan
With the USA choosing to field first, Netravalkar ended with 4-0-18-2 figures. He took the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed as the USA restricted Pakistan to 159 runs for 7 wickets.k He was assigned to bowl in the Super Over. With the USA required to defend 18 runs in the one-over eliminator, Netravalkar excellently handled the pressure and stunned Pakistan. Netravalkar successfully restricted experienced Pakistani batsmen like Shadab Khan, Iftikhar, and Fakhar Zaman in the Super Over.
This win was not just a personal triumph but a significant achievement for USA Cricket, showcasing their growing prowess on the international stage. Netravalkar’s performance in the match, both as a bowler and a captain, was instrumental in this historic win, cementing his legacy in American cricket.
Interestingly, former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez appearing on a talk show on Thursday gave a message to the Pakistani team before their match against the USA. He said that cricket is the only field where Pakistanis can defeat the USA. “As a Pakistani, cricket is the only field where we [Pakistanis] think, we can defeat the US,” Hafeez said. However, Netravalkar’s performance on Thursday proved that beating the US even in cricket is difficult for Pakistan with a part-time cricketer like Netravalkar there to stun them.
Best wishes to team Pakistan 🇵🇰 vs USA #GameOnHai pic.twitter.com/e3vIRqVICA
— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) June 6, 2024
Netravalkar’s cricketing journey from India to the US
Notably, in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, Netravalkar played for India alongside KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Sandeep Sharma. Netravalkar was born in 1991 and his ability to swing the ball both ways earned him a place in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad at the age of 17. Netravalkar was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2010, and the left-arm fast bowler finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 9 wickets in 6 matches.
Netravalkar, like many young cricketers, aspired to earn a spot in the India squad or get an IPL contract, however, with the presence of Ajit Agarkar, and Zaheer Khan among others, it was difficult for him to break in.
Netravalkar’s cricketing journey took a significant turn when he moved to the United States. His transition from Indian cricket to becoming a vital player for the USA Cricket team is a testament to his adaptability and dedication. He pursued a master’s degree in computer science at Cornell University., which led to a brief hiatus from professional cricket. However, his passion for the sport saw him return, this time donning the American jersey.
As a left-arm fast bowler, Saurabh Netravalkar quickly made a mark in the USA cricketing circuit. His ability to swing the ball and maintain a consistent line and length made him a formidable bowler. His leadership qualities were soon recognized, and he was appointed the captain of the USA national team. Under his captaincy, the USA team has seen significant improvements and notable victories, including a historic win against Pakistan on Thursday.
Netravalkar’s LinkedIn page creates buzz on social media
As Saurabh Netravalkar won the US its crucial match against Pakistan, his LinkedIn page sparked a discussion on social media. This is because Netravalkar is not even a full-time cricketer. As per his LinkedIn page, the star cricketer’s full-time job is “principal engineer at Oracle.” The US netizens are all praises for the Indian man winning games for US cricket in his spare time.
The U.S. just stunned Pakistan at the Men's T20 Cricket World Cup in one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 6, 2024
Saurabh Netravalkar is one of Team USA's top players, but his full-time job: Principle Engineer at Oracle. pic.twitter.com/DXNVzRGAzs
An immigrant engineer in Silicon Valley playing in the Cricket World Cup in his spare time
— Swann Marcus (@SwannMarcus89) June 6, 2024
This is the ideal Indian man. You may not like it but this is what peak performance looks like https://t.co/ixw68BBK4X
Interestingly, Netravalkar combined his love for cricket with his love for coding and developed a player-analysis application “CricCode”.
After the victory over Pakistan, the Netravalkar’s Instagram post featuring him singing “Om Namah Shivaya” has gone viral on social media. Many praised the Oracle techie for respecting his religion and roots, while others hailed him as a man of many talents.
Sweet revenge against Pakistan
It is worth recalling that the Indian Team in the 2010 Under 19 World Cup lost in the quarterfinals to the Pakistani team that had Babar Azam. Azam had an outstanding tournament, becoming the third-highest run-scorer.
Saurabh Netravalkar played for India at the 2010 U19 World Cup, at that time India lost against Pakistan where Babar Azam was part of it.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 6, 2024
14 years later – Netravalkar has played a key role in defeating Babar Azam's Pakistan at the 2024 T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/mOcQRnOjpA
Netravalkar played in the game, taking the wicket of another future Pakistan international, Ahmed Shehzad, and returning figures of 5-1-16-1. 14 years later, Netravalkar has played an unforgettable role in defeating Babar Azam’s Pakistan at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
A overseas, Pakistan Cricket and Babar Azam fan Nabiha Got emotional on Pakistan defeat.💔💔#PakvsEng #Babar pic.twitter.com/OM2vqBea8h
— Wasim Akram🇵🇰 (@Wasi__Akram) May 26, 2024
As Netravalkar led the USA to victory against Pakistan, several Pakistani fans blasted their team for failing to beat even a new team led by a part-time cricketer.
