Saurabh Netravalkar’s dazzling Super Over against Pakistan helped the United States notch up a win that could prove to be a game-changer for the game in the United States.
Cricket is gradually creating an atmosphere of excitement as the Mumbai boy’s performance in the match against India at the Nassau International County Ground on Wednesday will be viewed with enough interest. Indian bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, also from Mumbai, recalls the time when Netravalkar was making his way through the ranks in cricket for domestic players. “Saurabh is an inspirational story, I am really happy for him,” Mhambrey stated ahead of India’s optional training session on Tuesday.
In a lengthy discussion of the 32-year-old’s initial days, Mhambrey explained: “I remember seeing him in some of the training sessions and he looked quite promising. He played a few games for Mumbai and it must have been difficult for him to leave that and find a niche for himself here,” Mhambrey stated.
The fact that he’s an Oracle coder Oracle and has been able to get this far even though cricket is not his number. The first job is a huge surprise to Mhambrey. “It is really a great story. It will show the way to many others who want to play cricket here,” Mhambrey stated.
For players like Netravalkar, Harmeet Singh, Monank Patel, and Milind Kumar, the Wednesday game is sure to be a memorable occasion. For the USA captain, vice-captain Aaron Jones, who played a match-winning inning with Canada in the opening game, stated that the Indians in their squad are looking forward to the match.
“They are really excited, to be honest. Most of them have grown up many following their performances back home. I am quite certain they will be very keen to do well against their friends,” Jones added.
One thing that will be interesting on Wednesday is the place where the fans’ loyalty is. This Nassau International County ground has been awash in blue throughout the past few days, and it is believed that even though the home team is playing, it will not be different on Thursday. “I think it will be 50-50…people are noticing how we are playing. Cricket has now become part of the Olympics and it is a matter of time before the sport takes off in the US,” the vice-captain explained.
The USA is in the process of a historic entry into the Super-8s. If they lose on Thursday, there’s an erupting storm in Miami, and there’s an increased chance that the majority of these games could get washed out in the coming days, including India’s game with Canada and the USA’s qualifying duel with Ireland.
In this scenario, the USA may not need to do anything else in order to be eligible. “Yes, it will be massive if we go there. But for now, it’s the India game that we have in mind. We have our plans, we won’t be intimidated by the stars that India have and will look to play our games,” Jones stated.
