Indian domestic players who switched their base to the USA
Every young cricketer dream to play for his nation at the highest level. However, in a country like India with a huge population and tough competition, even breaking into the state team becomes quite a challenging task. This forces many of the players to switch their bases to other countries where they can get ample opportunities. In this article, we will be listing out three Indian domestic players who switched their base to the USA.
Smit Patel
Smit Patel, a wicket-keeper batsman and a member of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning team of 2012, has retired from the cricket tournaments held under the BCCI. He will now make his cricket career in America. Along with this, he can play in cricket leagues in other countries as well. Smit Patel will first play for Barbados Tridents in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
He is currently in America and has confirmed to leave cricket in India. He is currently playing for the New Jersey Blackcaps club. A wicketkeeper and top-order batsman, Patel last played for Baroda. He has also represented Gujarat and Tripura.
He has scored more than 3000 runs in 55 first-class matches. Smit Patel was part of the Indian team that won the Under-19 World Cup in 2012 under the captaincy of Unmukt Chand. He has also got a contract from Major League Cricket of America.
Saurabh Netravalkar
Fast bowler Saurabh Netravalkar, who was part of the Indian team in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, joined the US cricket team in 2018. He is part of the US team playing in the ICC Cricket League Division 3.
Netravalkar played the Under-19 World Cup for India in 2010 but this team failed to make a mark in the tournament. His teammates were cricketers like KL Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat and Mayank Agarwal. Saurabh also played a Ranji match for Mumbai. After this, he went to Cornell University to play in the MCA.
Siddharth Trivedi
Former Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Siddharth Trivedi has been in the US for some time and will soon be seen playing in the Minor Cricket League (MLC). He plays the role of player-coach at the American Cricket Academy and Club, which also has a team in the MLC. Trivedi was playing Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra in India. He decided to move to America to pursue the rest of his career. 38-year-old Trivedi has taken 268 wickets in 82 first-class matches.
