"If I had taken the catch, we could have put them under more pressure" - Saurabh Netravalkar on dropping Suryakumar Yadav in IND vs USA clash
United States of America (USA) pace bowler Saurabh Netravalkar had a huge say in the proceedings during the second innings against India in the recent 2024 T20 World Cup clash. The left-arm seamer finished with figures of 2-18 as the co-hosts lost a close encounter at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Defending a 111-run target, Netravalkar made an impact with the new ball by dismissing both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The pacer got Kohli for a golden duck and managed to induce a false shot from the skipper at the other end in his next over to reduce India to 10-2.
The match was well poised in the middle overs as India were desperate for a partnership following Pant's dismissal. USA, on the other hand, were piling on pressure on Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube at the crease.
There was a decisive moment in the 13th over of the innings, as the well-settled Suryakumar Yadav chipped a ball over the off-side infield off Shadley van Schalkwyk's bowling. Netravalkar, stationed at short third, was brought into play, but had to run backwards to get into position.
Although he reached in time, he failed to hold on to the opportunity, giving Suryakumar Yadav a huge reprieve. The batter went on to score an unbeaten fifty as the Men in Blue won by seven wickets with 10 balls to spare.
"It's on me. If I had taken the catch, we could have put them under more pressure," Netravalkar said after USA's defeat to India.
"I love my job at Oracle, and this [cricket] is, of course, my love. I enjoy entering the field, bowling every ball that I do. I'm blessed that I get to do what I love most of the time in the day," he added.
Netravalkar has had a campaign to remember so far. He bowled a couple of overs in the opening clash against Canada, and then bowled the famous Super Over against Pakistan as well.
"Call him the Iceman now after that Super Over" - USA bowling coach Stuart Law on Saurabh Netravalkar
Saurabh Netravalkar bowled three overs on the trot with the new ball as the USA were desperate for more breakthroughs. The left-arm seamer went wicketless in the second half of his spell, but managed to make life difficult for Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav in the process.
“Call him the Iceman now after that Super Over. And look, when he's running hot like that, one more wicket at that stage could have been the difference. So, we needed to take wickets. We needed to bowl India out basically to win the game. We were never going to contain them with the power hitters they still had in the shed. Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel still to come. We needed to bowl them out so wickets up front was crucial. We just didn't quite get enough in that power play," Staurt Law said in the post-match press conference.
USA are still alive in the race for the Super 8 stage and can seal a spot if they secure a win over Ireland in their final group-stage encounter.