Saurabh Netravalkar, a principal software engineer at Oracle, led the U.S. cricket team to a stunning victory over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, despite only being a part-time athlete.
What Happened: Team USA, led by Netravalkar, pulled off a remarkable upset at the ongoing match as the team triumphed over cricket powerhouse Pakistan. The victory stands out because Pakistan, the winner of the 2009 edition of the tournament, was favored to dominate Group A.
The left-arm medium-fast bowler, not only plays for the Washington Freedom but also holds a demanding role as a principal software engineer at global software giant Oracle. This dual career path showcases his unique blend of athletic and technical prowess.
Born in Mumbai, India, 32-year-old Netravalkar's cricket journey began early. By age 17, he was playing for the Mumbai Ranji team and later represented India in the 2010 Under 19 World Cup as the team’s highest wicket-taker.
Pursuing higher education, he moved to the U.S. in 2015, attending Cornell University for a master’s in computer science. He continued to advance his cricket career in the U.S. and the national team selected him in 2017.
Netravalkar's significant contributions to cricket include leading as captain in several international competitions and being a top performer in qualifiers and regional tournaments. His role in Major League Cricket expanded when Washington Freedom drafted him in 2023.
Balancing A Dual Career: Working at Oracle since 2016, Netravalkar climbed the ranks from technical staff to principal member. His passion for cricket and technology intersected when he developed CricDecode, a cricket player analysis app, in 2014. He stated that he didn't want his engineering studies to go to waste, which inspired the app's creation.
Photo: Cricket USA
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