The match between the USA and India at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday is an unprecedented moment in history.
It will be the first time that the USA will have ever played against India in any form of the men’s international cricket, creating a unique story of togetherness and rivalry.
The US team has several players including Saurabh Netravalkar, Harmeet Singh, Monank Patel as captain whose roots also lies with Indian cricket for they participated in different categories and levels of domestic cricket matches before taking part in international cricket matches for America.
Saurabh Netravalkar, former India U19 and left-arm fast bowler, shares a personal bond with Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav who is currently in-form because the two became friends while playing together for Mumbai U15s side.
Netravalkar remembered Yadav’s exceptional talent and flamboyance from his early years. He said “you know actually Surya was one close friend. I’ve seen him since our under-15 days; we kind of grew up playing for Mumbai together. He was always special, scoring double hundreds and stuff in under-15 and under-17 matches.”
Harmeet Singh, a left-arm spin all-rounder who was part of the India U19 squad that won the 2012 World Cup looks up to Rohit Sharma who captains India.
“It was really exciting to see someone from beyond Bandra schools going out there into world domination. But then Rohit started that whole thing from there itself up North Bombay suburbs we all followed. Some other guys I have played under-19 India with are Sanju (Samson), Kuldeep (Yadav) and Axar (Patel). It’ll be fun catching up and playing against them as well,” Harmeet added.
Corey Anderson, a fast bowling all-rounder who formerly represented New Zealand, is looking forward to playing against his old team-mate Jasprit Bumrah of Mumbai Indians.
“I’ve got a bit of soft spot for Bumrah. I think I was there in Mumbai when he first came into MI’s setup and it has been absolutely amazing watching him evolve from this raw natural talent to one of the best bowlers in the world,” said the USA veteran.
