NEW DELHI: Mumbai-born USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar is set for a poignant homecoming when he lines up against India in the USA's T20 World Cup opener at the Wankhede Stadium on February 7 - a venue where his cricketing journey first took shape before he left the country to pursue a different career path.

The 34-year-old featured in a first-class match for Mumbai in 2013 alongside players such as Suryakumar Yadav and Shardul Thakur, but despite representing India at the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, he was unable to break into the senior national side.

In 2015, Netravalkar chose academics over cricket, moving to the United States after securing admission to Cornell University for a master's degree in computer science. At that point, a return to professional cricket seemed unlikely.

However, fate had other plans. Netravalkar gradually found his way back to the game he had first played on the bustling streets of Mumbai, eventually becoming a key figure in the USA team and a standout performer during their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign.

Now, as he prepares to walk out at the iconic Wankhede once again, Netravalkar admits the occasion could be an emotional one, marking a full-circle moment in an extraordinary journey.

"I wouldn't know how I would react there. But it is an emotional moment, for sure. Kind of like a full circle moment because I started playing cricket in Mumbai and gave up on the sport and moved to the US and never even expected to play cricket again. International (cricket) wasn't even a thought," he told PTI from Colombo where the USA squad is training.

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"So, it's like a second innings, that cricket gave me that chance and brought me back to Mumbai. So, in that sense, it's nostalgic and emotional, but it's not playing on my mind per se."

Has he visualised playing at the venue in front of his family and friends?

"Kind of, yes. I wouldn't say in this particular way, but as a kid, obviously, growing up in Mumbai, I have always, since I started playing cricket, dreamt about playing for the country and hopefully at Wankhede. We've been training at Wankhede since our under-15 days.

"Very grateful that this opportunity has come about whilst playing for the USA. My family and friends will be there. So yeah, I am looking forward to giving my best effort," said the left-arm pacer, who continues to juggle between cricket and his coding job at IT giant Oracle.

Need to have multiple plans in India

Batting friendly conditions in the sub-continent make the job much tougher for the bowlers. In the previous edition held in the USA and Caribbean, the bowlers had it slightly easier because of the conditions.

Netravalkar, who is known for generating swing with the new ball and yorkers in the death overs, has got his plans ready for the three group games in India and one against Pakistan in Colombo.

"On flatter wickets, more than the skills, obviously, you have your weapons and you keep developing different kinds of slower balls and hope that the ball swings with the new ball. That is unpredictable as well. It depends on the conditions. If you're playing under lights, dew becomes a factor here. So, we also need to practice bowling with the wetter ball.

"Yeah, and then you just have your plan A, plan B ready. So, I think we picked a good location to train at (three weeks in Sri Lanka). We also have two warm-up games at D.Y. Patil before we play the opening game of the World Cup. So, we will have exposure to flatter wickets and yeah, it will be a different challenge for me especially," said Netravalkar.

Graph of USA cricket has gone up since 2024 success

Having stunned Pakistan in their maiden World Cup, USA exceeded expectations by qualifying for the Super 8 stage in 2024. Considering that stellar run, expectations are higher this time from a squad made up mainly of Indian and Pakistan origin cricketers.

Though there is still a long way to go in terms of having world-class cricketing infrastructure all around the US, Netravalkar is pleased with the upward graph of the game in the country.

'I think we've gone up, you could say for sure. You can see eight or nine or even more of our cricketers are getting gigs in franchise leagues around the world. So, that is a good benchmark to sort of evaluate that our skills are being appreciated.

"Major league cricket as well, a lot of local players were in the top run getters, top wicket takers. We have 19, 20, 21-year-olds also making the team. So I think the system is slowly forming. I would still say we have a long way to go (in terms of building infrastructure throughout the USA). But definitely, we can see the progress since the last World Cup," he added.

Netravalkar on his vegan lifestyle

Netravalkar's remarkable clarity of thought can be linked to his lifestyle. He has been vegan for a while and that made a positive impact on his cricket and more importantly life in general.

"As a person, it's been transformative. I'm trying to become a better person and that is unrelated to cricket. Just trying to learn more, delve deep into philosophy, spirituality, good habits, sustainability, climate change.

"Trying to do the best of what is expected of us as a human being, firstly. And it automatically, I mean, if you're healthy and you're fit and you train hard, it's going to obviously affect your skills and it's going to get better," he added.

(With PTI Inputs)