From Engineering to Cricket: The Remarkable Journey of Saurabh Netravalkar

Saurabh Netravalkar initially moved to the USA to pursue a Master's degree in Computer Engineering. Yet, his name is now etched in the annals of USA cricket history. Back in 2010, Netravalkar experienced heartbreak during the Under-19 World Cup quarter-final in Christchurch when India narrowly lost to Pakistan. On that day, Babar Azam was on the opposing team, and Pakistan clinched victory by two wickets in a rain-affected thriller.

Fourteen years later, Netravalkar found redemption by representing his adopted country, the USA, in a dramatic T20 World Cup match against Pakistan. Charged with bowling the decisive Super Over, he successfully defended 18 runs, securing a historic victory for the USA and significantly boosting their chances of advancing to the Super Eights.

Should the USA progress—still needing to face Ireland and India—Netravalkar might have to extend his leave from work, which is scheduled to end on June 17. Explaining this to his American colleagues would be unnecessary; he could simply point them to the numerous Instagram reels celebrating the story of the Indian tech enthusiast who came to the USA for a degree and ended up becoming a cricketing legend.

At 32, Netravalkar had long harboured dreams of playing for India. As a young, fiery left-arm fast bowler, he once bowled out Yuvraj Singh during a practice session at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in 2009, under an Air India sports scholarship. That memorable delivery earned him a spot in the prestigious BCCI Corporate Trophy, where he shared a dressing room with Indian cricket stars like Yuvraj, Suresh Raina, and Robin Uthappa. Facing a formidable lineup that included Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, Netravalkar emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament and soon found himself on the Indian squad for the Under-19 World Cup. His teammates included future stars like KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Jaydev Unadkat, Mandeep Singh, and Harshal Patel.

Participating in the Under-19 World Cup meant missing his entire first semester exams of the Computer Engineering degree he had begun six months prior—a significant sacrifice in his burgeoning cricket career.

Netravalkar had hoped his stellar performance in the World Cup, where he was India’s leading wicket-taker, would lead to a place in Mumbai’s senior team and possibly an IPL contract. However, breaking into the Mumbai squad was challenging, given the presence of stalwarts like Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Aavishkar Salvi, and a young Dhawal Kulkarni.

In 2013, he finally made his Ranji Trophy debut after making another difficult choice to leave his job as a software testing engineer in Pune to focus solely on cricket. However, after two years of sporadic appearances, another opportunity arose. In August 2015, Netravalkar was offered admission to Cornell University in New York. His academic prowess and passion for cricket, exemplified by his development of the player-analysis app CricDecode, earned him a scholarship.

After completing his graduate studies, Netravalkar accepted a position with Oracle in San Francisco. Initially, he did not bring his cricket gear with him to the USA, but soon found himself playing recreational cricket on weekends to connect with the local Indian community.

In 2016, he represented the North West Region at the USACA National Championship and soon ramped up his cricketing efforts as the ICC reduced the residency requirement for eligibility from four years to three. His impressive performance in a warm-up match for the USA national team in 2017 caught the attention of then-coach Pubudu Dassanayake. By January 2018, Netravalkar made his List A debut for the USA, taking 2 for 45 against the Leeward Islands, symbolising a full-circle moment in his cricketing journey.

Today, Netravalkar is a key player for the USA national team and a regular in Major League Cricket. In the inaugural season, he was the third-highest wicket-taker for Washington Freedom, highlighted by a remarkable 6 for 9 against the San Francisco Unicorns, a team featuring stars like Matthew Wade, Marcus Stoinis, and Shadab Khan. He would again bowl to Shadab, clinching the final ball of the Super Over to secure a win for the USA.

In the coming week, Netravalkar will face Rohit Sharma, his former senior in Mumbai cricket, and renew his rivalry with Virat Kohli. He no longer needs to prove his cricketing credentials; he now has videos of himself bowling against some of cricket’s biggest names to share his story.