Saurabh Netravalkar: The US cricketer who once played for India

In 2015, Saurabh Netravalkar gave up his dreams of playing professional cricket in India and moved to the US to work as a software engineer.

“Cricket was over for me. I had no hope or expectation left to play again,” he says.

On Wednesday, almost a decade later, he will face the Indian cricket team in a T20 World Cup match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.

But he will do so as part of the US team.

As he embarks on his World Cup dream, Netravalkar says the match will be an “emotional moment” for a cricketer who once played for India’s Under-19 team.

“Many of my former team-mates are now playing for India,” he tells the BBC.

But he is unfazed about the prospect of facing his friends in a crucial match.

He is full of confidence and it showed in his impeccable bowling last week in a super over that led the US to a historic win against Pakistan.

Netravalkar’s is a story of persistence, a love for cricket and, also, the American dream.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Netravalkar began playing cricket when he was just 10.

His family lived in Malad, a suburb in the western part of the city. After some remarkable performances as a teenager, he was picked to represent India in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand.