The United States of America were a revelation at the recent T20 World Cup 2024. The debutants treaded a journey till the Round of 16s as they qualified from a group that had giants Pakistan. Much of the credit for the USA's exploits at the World Cup, was to the heroics of Saurabh Netravalkar.
Netravalkar, a fast bowler of Indian descent, was one of the USA's prime-time heroes on the world stage. The 32-year-old moved to the United States after failing to make a career out of cricket in India. The Maharashtra-born cricketer represented India at the U-19 World Cup, but could not trace a pathway for himself through to the senior team.
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Cut to 2024, he represented the USA at a T20 World Cup and helped his country beat Pakistan by bowling the super over, all while doing a full-time job at IT giants Oracle. Looking back at his journey in India, Netravalkar recalled how he toiled through college exams to pursue his engineering, while keeping his cricketing dream alive.
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What did Saurabh Netravalkar say about his time at the India U19 World Cup?
Speaking to media outlet Crictracker, USA's star speedster Saurabh Netravalkar spoke about his time as an engineering student while representing his country at the highest stage of age-group cricket. Hailing from Mumbai, he was selected for the India U19 World Cup 2010.
Netravalkar recalled about giving 10 exams in a semester, after missing four of his exams in his previous semester. He was persistent enough to pursue both sports and studies simultaneously in life.
My first-semester engineering exam clashed with the Under-19 World Cup. I got picked for the U19 World Cup for the Indian team in 2010 and I had to miss four of my six exams in the first semester. And I got a KT (Allowed to Keep Terms), the 32-year-old said.
The next semester I gave like 10 exams in a row and there was no tournament. So, it was both, a mix of me willing to work harder and try to sacrifice a little bit of other things. But I used to love these two things. I was ready to do whatever it takes to pursue cricket and education,” he concluded.
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How did Saurabh Netravalkar perform at T20 World Cup 2024?
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate | Economy | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 | 20.83 | 18.83 | 6.63 | 2/18 |
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