‘Come back home’: Saurabh Netravalkar memes viral after Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma wickets in India vs USA T20 World Cup match

Saurabh Netravalkar produced a dream spell against the country of his birth in USA’s T20 World Cup 2024 match against India in New York on Sunday. The software engineer, who works at Oracle, dismissed India’s superstar batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in his first two overs in the powerplay as he jolted the Indian top-order in their defence of 110 runs in a Group A match on Thursday. The 30-year-old’s fiery spell impressed not just fans of American cricket, but the ones in India as they lauded the former India U19 bowler’s effort against the Asian giants.

Saurabh Netravalkar came up with a terrific effort with the new ball after he was tasked with the responsibility of opening the attack against India. The left-arm fast bowler, 30, did not take much time as he dismissed Virat Kohli with the first delivery he bowled to the India great. Netravalkar, coming over the wicket, got the ball to shape away from Kohli. The Indian batter poked at the delivery and was caught for 0.

Saurabh Netravalkar became the first bowler ever to dismiss Virat Kohli for a golden duck in ICC tournament history. Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck for only the second time in his T20I career.

Netravalkar got his former Mumbai teammate Rohit Sharma in his second over when he bowled a slower one to deceive the India captain. Netravalkar was delighted as he pumped the air and celebrated the big wicket as India slipped to 10 for 2 in the third over. Netravalkar silenced a partisan crowd that was rooting for Rohit Sharma and his men.

T20 World Cup Coverage | Points Table | T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule | Player Stats

The meme makers had a field day as they recalled Netravalkar’s journey of having played for India U19 and domestic cricket before moving to the USA where he renewed his love for the sport.

Notably, Netravalkar’s double blow on Wednesday came days after he had told India Today that he was looking forward to bowling to Rohit and Kohli in the much-anticipated game against USA. He had caught the attention of the cricket world after his match-winning spell and a dream Super Over against Pakistan.

India were in a spot of bother at the end of the 10-over mark as they managed just 47 and lost 3 wickets. India lost their best batter of the tournament, Rishabh Pant, to one that kept low from Ali Khan.

Saurabh Netravalkar’s story is a wild ride. The left-arm pacer played for India in the U19 World Cup in 2010. He broke into the senior domestic Mumbai team in 2013. However, lack of opportunities meant he decided to put cricket on the backburner and focus on his job as a Software Engineer. After getting an enticing offer from a major tech firm in the USA, Netravalkar moved to America where his love for the sport was rekindled.

Explaining his call to quit his cricket journey in India and move to the USA, Netravalkar told India Today: “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,” he added.

However, everything did not go Netravalkar’s way in the big-ticket match in New York. The left-arm pacer dropped his former Mumbai teammate Suryakumar Yadav’s catch when the No. 1 T20I batter was batting on 22 in the 13th over.