"It was definitely very emotional for me" - Saurabh Netravalkar recalls leaving Mumbai for USA

Saurabh Netravalkar grabbed headlines with a sensational performance for the United States of America (USA) in their 2024 T20 World Cup encounter against Pakistan last week. He defended 19 runs in the Super Over, helping his side claim a stunning five-run win.

Before shifting base to the USA, Netravalkar played the 2010 U-19 World Cup for India and also represented Mumbai in domestic cricket. In an interview with India Today, he spoke about how he juggled between engineering and cricket back then.

Mentioning that he rejected an engineering job in India to pursue his cricketing dream, Saurabh Netravalkar said:

"I can take it to under-19, when I played in 2010 for the Indian team. Parallelly, I was also doing my engineering. My bachelor's was from 2009 to 2013, so I was juggling between both. It is a good thing that I had a passion for both. In 2013, there came a point when I had to make a call. I was offered a job as a software engineer in India. But I decided not to take it up and then give two years to cricket."

He added that after failing to become a regular feature in Mumbai's team and not being in contention for an IPL contract, he decided to shift to the USA to follow his second passion, engineering. The left-arm seamer said:

"I trained hard with everybody's support, made it to the Mumbai team. I played for two seasons, but then I realised at the end of the second year, that I was in and out of the side and was not making it to the next stage, like the senior Indian team or an IPL contract. So I thought if I'm not making it to the next stage, then I should pursue my other passion. It was definitely very emotional for me to leave cricket and come here, but then I thought that it was the more practical call."

It is worth mentioning that Saurabh Netravalkar played alongside the likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Harshal Patel, and Jaydev Undadkat in the 2010 U-19 World Cup. He made his Ranji Trophy debut for Mumbai in 2013 against Karnataka.

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"Some of the guys who are on that team used to be my childhood friends" - Saurabh Netravalkar on playing against India in 2024 T20 World Cup

Ahead of the IND vs USA 2024 T20 World Cup clash, Saurabh Netravalkar said he was looking forward to playing against the Men in Blue. He also spoke about how a few guys from the Indian camp were his childhood friends.

Speaking to Fox KTVU, he said:

"It's an emotional moment for me because I think some of the guys who are on that team used to be my childhood friends as well.So I'm kind of happy for them as well that I could get to meet them."

Urging fans to come for the match and cheer for the USA team, Saurabh Netravalkara added:

"I just want to encourage the fans to come out there, to understand the game and try to support us and we'll give our best to represent the country and do the best that we can."

The USA will take on India at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday, June 12.