Born in Bombay, Saurabh Netravalkar represented the Indian U-19 team and was included in the 2010 U-19 Cricket World Cup squad. After relocating to the US for further study, he pursued a career in computer technology while also playing competitive cricket.
Netravalkar finally rose to the position of captain for the US cricket team and was essential to the group’s success in international competition.
In the last Twenty20 World Cup in Dallas, USA defeated Pakistan, the defending champions, in a thrilling match that cemented Netravalkar’s legacy.
Thousands of Pakistanis watched in dismay as cricketer-turned-engineer Netravalkar broke all records and expectations by defending 18 runs in the Super Over.
Throughout it all, Netravalkar has managed to strike a balance between his career as an Oracle Senior Software Engineer and his love of cricket.
These days, a video of Netravalkar explaining how he manages to juggle his profession at Oracle with his love of cricket is making the rounds on the internet.
Netravalkar responds, “Most importantly, it’s the love for it. I am passionate about tech and I’m passionate about the sport so, as long as you’re passionate about it, it doesn’t seem like work,” when asked how he manages to balance both careers. You enjoy carrying it out. All you need to do is carve out time to complete it, compartmentalize your activities, turn things on and off, and give it your all in the moment.”
To the question of whether there is any connection between Netravalkar’s work creating algorithms and his experience playing cricket, he responds, “I think it works both ways, from tech to cricket. The game is evolving to use data like analytics a lot for strategies and stuff so, knowing how analysis works it helps me know where to look for and those patterns might be a key change-maker between a win and a loss, for the margins are really low in these tough competitive games and same in my tech world, from sports I learn how to handle failure, learn how to bounce back and try to work passionately towards what I want.”
As a left-arm medium-fast bowler, Netravalkar’s ability to swing the ball and his disciplined line and length have made him a key asset for the US cricket team. His career trajectory is an interesting mix of academic success and international cricketing achievements.
