‘Rohit Sharma’s validation felt really nice’ - Saurabh Netravalkar reflects on dream wicket [Exclusive]

In an exclusive interaction with CricTracker, USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar spoke about the career-defining wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during the T20 World Cup 2024, as well as the advice he received from Rohit. He also stated that minimising runs against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 remains his primary focus.

Netravalkar described Rahul Dravid as his childhood hero and highlighted the support he received from Nicholas Pooran during his stint in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He also credited Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard for guiding him by helping identify and build around his strengths while addressing his weaknesses.

Excerpts from the interview

You dismissed Rohit Sharma and also got Virat Kohli out for a golden duck; how would you describe and define those two wickets in your career?

Firstly, I'm grateful that I got a chance to play with both of them because they're not playing this World Cup. So I'm glad that I got that opportunity. Getting the wicket was definitely a special moment. During the game, I think I wasn't thinking about that too much because I was just trying to bowl whatever I wanted to bowl for the team. But after the game, yeah, it felt really big where I got a lot of love and support from a lot of people around the world. So it felt grateful. Rohit Bhai spoke to me also after the game. He said, well bowled. Yeah, it felt really nice to get that validation that I can perform at the big level if I work hard. 

Have you received any advice from players like Rohit Sharma?

Yeah, I spoke with Rohit Bhai mostly because I've known him since my Mumbai days. He's been my senior and I used to bowl a lot in the Mumbai practise sessions. So yeah, we discussed a little bit about how I went, what my thought process was and he gave me some tips on what I can do better. So yeah, it was a good discussion.

As you prepare for your first T20 World Cup game against India, which batters’ wickets are you aiming for?

Like I said, here it's about very specific skill execution instead of any particular wickets because of the batting condition of pitches. So more so it's going to be about minimising the damage and giving less runs. While batsman attacks, if he mistimes it, he might get out. So that's the thing. That's the best you can do. You're trying to induce a mistake. Try to deceive the batsman in pace or in strategy or in field placing. But yeah, no such plan of getting a particular person out because it's not a test match. It's a T20. You need to save runs. So that's the focus.

After India won the T20 World Cup, you posted a picture appreciating Rahul Dravid, calling him a childhood hero and a true ambassador of the game. Did you meet him after your match against India?

Yes, we had a flight together with the Indian team when we went to our next venue. So during that flight, I got to interact with him. I had a good conversation with him. I have also known him since India. When I used to be in National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, I used to bowl to him in the nets when he was playing. So he was always my childhood hero. Growing up, I used to watch him a lot on TV and idolise him.

You played under Nicholas Pooran in the CPL 2025 and won the title with TKR. How would you describe him as a captain?

I think I got an opportunity towards the later half of the tournament as a replacement, injury replacement. Yeah, they made me feel very welcoming and they supported my skills. There was good clarity that they gave me. Pooran and obviously coach Dwayne Bravo were there. The good thing was that they also play in a major league in the US. So they had played against me and they had seen my bowling. So they know my strengths and weaknesses. So we planned accordingly. It was nice that even Pollard was there in the side. He was standing at mid-off and long-off. Even he was talking to me, guiding me. So it helped that these senior players were supporting my skills. And good that the performances came and we won the championships.