3 India-born USA players who pose a threat to Rohit Sharma's team in 2024 T20 World Cup clash ft. Monank Patel
It has been a phenomenal tournament so far for Team USA - they have secured victories in both of their first two matches. There was a lot of talk before the tournament about the side being ready to take down any opposition and so far, they have walked the talk.
Their next challenge, however, is India, a formidable opponent. Team USA has plenty of Indian faces and these players will give the hosts a lot of belief. Despite the fact that Rohit Sharma's side looks well-rounded, these Indian-born players could well play a different tune on Wednesday.
We take a look at three Indian-born USA players who pose a threat to Rohit Sharma's team in the 2024 T20 World Cup clash:
#3 Harmeet Singh
The left-arm spinner was a part of the Mumbai dressing room that also had the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shivam Dube. Harmeet was one of the stars of the triumphant 2012 Under-19 World Cup squad but is now one of the key players for USA.
The USA bowler is accurate with his left-arm spin and can take the ball across all phases of the innings. With India opening the innings with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Harmeet could very well dictate terms in the first six overs.
He is also an excellent striker of the ball and has a strike rate of 202 in eight T20Is, and can be used as an attacking option to take down the likes of Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja in the middle phase of the innings.
#2 Monank Patel
USA captain Monank Patel, born on May 1, 1993, in Anand, Gujarat, led from the front with the bat in the powerplay against Pakistan. He was brilliant with his tactics in the field and restricted Pakistan to 159-7 in 20 overs.
The skipper then played a crucial captain's knock as he dominated Pakistan and raced to a 38-ball 50 to keep his side ahead of the curve.
Patel can present a lot of challenges to the Indian bowling order and the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah have to try to take him out as soon as possible.
There is a calmness around Patel - one that runs through the batting order and India needs to take out the captain before he lays down the marker for another important innings for his side.
#1 Saurabh Netravalkar
Saurabh Netravalkar, another Mumbai boy, was the star of the show with the ball against Pakistan as he ended his four overs with figures of 2 for 18. He got the ball to move around from a length and made life difficult for Pakistan’s batters.
The USA bowler was then excellent in the Super Over and showed excellent temperament to lead his side to a famous win. He will hold a lot of importance against the Indian openers - especially Rohit Sharma who has had struggles against left-arm pacers.
The New York pitch has confounded everyone and if Netravalkar finds his length, he will be quite a handful.