India-born USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar created a sensation at the Nassau Stadium in New York by dismissing star batter Virat Kohli for a golden duck during the Group A clash at the T20 World Cup on Wednesday.
The left-arm seamer delivered a superb full-length ball that angled across Kohli, who chased it outside off-stump, resulting in an edge that went straight to wicketkeeper Andries Gous. Netravalkar’s exuberant celebration with his teammates followed Kohli’s unfortunate milestone—his first-ever golden duck in T20 World Cup history. This also marked Kohli’s inaugural duck in the cricketing spectacle and only the second duck of his T20 career.
View this post on Instagram
Virat Kohli’s performance at the cricketing carnival in the Americas has been dismal, scoring 1, 4, and 0 in three matches. After dismissing Kohli on the third ball of the game, USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar also took the wicket of India captain Rohit Sharma in his second over, putting India in early trouble while chasing 111.
Mumbai-born Netravalkar played a key role in the USA’s surprising victory over former champions Pakistan in the T20 World Cup last week. The 32-year-old bowled a brilliant Super Over to secure his team’s unexpected win. An alumnus of the prestigious Cornell University and a senior techie at Oracle, Netravalkar has balanced academics and cricket remarkably well. He represented India in the 2010 U-19 World Cup, sharing the dressing room with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, and played in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai.
Earlier in the match, left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh achieved a career-best 4-9, including two wickets in the first over, helping India restrict the USA to 110 for 8. A win in this match would ensure a place in the second round Super Eights for both teams.