(June 28, 2024) The USA cricket team made history by qualifying for the Super Eight stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup in their very first appearance in the tournament. Achieving a remarkable victory over the previous edition’s finalists, Pakistan, they showcased stunning sportsmanship. India-born cricketer and Oracle engineer Saurabh Netravalkar played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s defeat during a thrilling Super Over clash.
Oracle congratulated him, tweeting, “Congrats USA Cricket on a historic result! Proud of the team and our very own engineering and cricket star Saurabh Netravalkar.” In another tweet, Oracle highlighted, “He is one of our AI engineers and a USA cricket star.”
Saurabh Netravalkar
Later, the left-arm pacer showcased his composure and skill under pressure by dismissing both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the USA vs. India game. Facing many of his former teammates, Netravalkar described the game as an “emotional moment,” having once played for India’s Under-19 team before pursuing his American dream. Despite the USA not qualifying for the semifinals, Saurabh Netravalkar stood out and emerged as the face of USA cricket.
Juggling two demanding careers
We seldom come across a successful professional cricketer who has an equally successful career outside the realm of sports. A principal member of technical staff at Oracle, Saurabh Netravalkar is one such rare cricketer. A left-arm medium-fast bowler, Saurabh has has even captained the USA national team, representing the United States in international cricket. He juggles his corporate role and also plays for the Washington Freedom, an American professional Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Major League Cricket (MLC).
It’s not easy to excel in two very demanding jobs. Saurabh works odd hours on tours and even on his team bus to meet his corporate responsibilities.
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Not new to outstanding performances, Saurabh has been India’s highest wicket taker in the 2010 Under 19 World Cup in New Zealand, and was the man of the series in the tri-nations U-19 tournament in South Africa. The Mumbai-born was also named the best junior cricketer in India in 2009/10.
When his cricketing career was just taking off in India, he had moved to the US to pursue his higher studies.
Choosing academics over sports
When someone possesses a brilliant academic record in computer science engineering from one of the nation’s premier institutions, lucrative and stable employment opportunities abroad provide a constant allure. This led Saurabh, an alumnus of the Sardar Patel Institute of Technology in Mumbai to pursue his masters abroad, that too at an Ivy League school, and subsequently bag a lucrative job at Oracle.
However, the cricketer in him was not able to stay away from the sport for long. With his dedication, coupled with luck, he has become a prominent cricketer in the United States in a short span of time. Saurabh has been efficiently giving action-packed performances with his ability to effortlessly swing the ball in both directions.
Saurabh Netravalkar in action
The hard decision
He was 23 when he had to take the crucial decision regarding his career path. The Mumbai boy, who had already proven his mettle as a skilled left-arm pacer, ultimately opted to prioritise further education in the United States, relinquishing his aspirations of a cricketing career in India. This decision came two years after his inaugural match in the Mumbai Ranji Trophy back in 2013, where he played against Karnataka, a match that also featured his former India Under-19 teammate, KL Rahul.
“It was a very emotional decision for me to leave cricket behind and come to the US to pursue higher education,” the Mumbai-born cricketer said in an interview.
Unforgettable experiences
For Saurabh, his experiences in his short but successful cricketing career in India are significant. Those experiences have helped him to charter a fresh path in the world of U.S. cricket.
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He cherishes participating in the BCCI Corporate Trophy as a member of the Air India team under the leadership of the renowned Indian cricketer of that era, Yuvraj Singh. Other present-day Indian cricket stars like Suresh Raina were also part of the tournament. “My performance in that competition was commendable, and it played a pivotal role in my selection for the India Under-19 squad,” he shared. He had made his first-class debut for Mumbai in the 2013–14 Ranji Trophy.
While K.L. Rahul, along with fellow participants of the 2010 U-19 World Cup such as Mayank Agarwal and Jaydev Unadkat, embarked on their journey towards representing the senior Indian cricket team and securing IPL contracts, Saurabh went on to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at Cornell University.
Once a sportsman, always a sportsman
After completing his masters and entering the corporate world, the software engineer has been able to find a foothold in the United States team, and play with some of the current top players. “It was always a dream to play against top international players and test my abilities. I am really grateful to get that chance finally,” said the Global Indian who loves singing to the tunes of his guitar.
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Saurabh has been balancing his passion and full-time job successfully. “I am a software engineer, so I have to mostly code. The timings are flexible, which is a good thing about this profession. So, I can work at my own time,” he remarked. “My goal in cricket and life is to keep on scaling up and to be consistent,” he added.
In Saurabh Netravalkar, cricket enthusiasts and the diaspora find a remarkable example of someone representing India’s beloved sport on an international stage.
