Eight Indian-origin players, including four former Ranji Trophy players, are part of the 14-member squad of USA, the Indian Express reported on Saturday.
Saurabh Netravalkar (who used to play for Mumbai), Sunny Sohal (Punjab), Ibrahim Khaleel (Hyderabad) and Timil Patel (Gujarat) will be part of the USA squad that will participate in the West Indies Regional Super50 tournament starting on January 31.
The ICC had changed its players’ regulations last year – teams can now feature two players of any country in their playing XI, if they have been residing in that country for three years.
Sohal had represented India Under-19 team in 2007 which had the likes of Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey and Ravindra Jadeja. He was also with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers during their title-winning campaign in 2009 in South Africa.
Sohal told Indian Express that he’d quit cricket after being fed up with the politics in Punjab cricket.
“One day, at a nets session with Punjab team, I couldn’t stand the politics there and decided enough is enough. I just took my bag and returned home,” said Sohal. He, then, packed his bags and went to the USA.
Netravalkar was the leading wicket-taker for India in their 2010 Under-19 World Cup campaign under Unmukt Chand. He then played for the Mumbai Ranji team till 2014. Fears of job security led him to take up a scholarship in USA. He’s software engineer who even designed his own cricket app. The shift to America, he thought, will end his cricket career.
“I never thought I will play cricket again but after coming to US, I got to know there was cricket in my college. There was a West Indian coach, who saw me bowl and asked whether I played decent cricket. Then he recommended me to different clubs here,” Netravalkar said.
“So what if I couldn’t play for India, atleast I will represent USA team,” Sohal said. “There is no job for a cricketer in India. Each player has to experience different kind of politics and it starts from district cricket itself. I played in IPL but still couldn’t represent Punjab. But I think god has something else planned for me.”