USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar recalls India Under-15 days with Suryakumar Yadav before T20 World Cup

The tale of Saurabh Netravalkar, the cricketer who played for India at the Under-15 level and eventually made his way onto the American squad, will go on forever. Cricket has become a happy place for a full-time developer working for a US software company. On June 6, as the USA made history, he made his global debut against Pakistan with a match-winning stint. As he is ready to face his former team on June 12, Saurabh shared his excitement.

In the T20 World Cup 2024 group stage match, India will play the USA on Wednesday. Saurabh and Suryakumar Yadav, who were teammates in their Under-15 cricket matches, will square off. He praised Suryakumar’s skill as well and recalled the batter’s intentions from their early days of playing together. In fact, Saurabh’s opportunity to make a mark against a team like India is even better because the World Cup is a bigger stage.

There aren’t many individuals who have played U-15 with Surya and everyone else I grew up with. Seeing them and performing together on stage would be pleasant. I can’t quite put into words how eager and looking forward to it I am. We knew this boy was special from day one—under fifteen. He used to destroy everyone. He used to knock huge hundreds in group cricket as well. His particular moment was inevitable. Truly delighted for him, given how he emerged and lit the stage on fire,” Saurabh Netravalkar said, as cited by India Today.

I’ve bowled in the Mumbai nets against Rohit Sharma: Saurabh Netravalkar

Before securing a spot in the USA squad, Saurabh disclosed that he worked out in the nets with India captain Rohit Sharma. He continued by describing Rohit as an amazing person and mentioning that he had bowled to him during Mumbai Indians practice. In the Super Over versus Pakistan, the bowler defended 19 overs and gave up just 13 runs while taking one wicket to help the USA win.

Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Match 25, USA vs IND Match Preview

I have, however, bowled to Rohit Sharma in Mumbai nets once (while playing against Kohli). These are folks who inspire me. Inspiration has also come from the journeys,” he continued.