MUMBAI, Feb. 7 -- Perhaps USA players lining up for their opening T20 World Cup match against India today might be excused in case some of them find the urge to sing the national anthems of both countries. Three of them may also feel more at home entering the Wankhede stadium. That's because Saurabh Netravalkar, their captain, Harmeet Singh and Shubham Ranjane have lived and played in Mumbai. In all, five players in the current USA squad are from India and have learnt their cricket here (Milind Kumar and Monank Patel being the others). There's no doubting their commitment to the US team, but instincts can often take over when playing against your country of birth. It happened to Mumbai's own Harmeet the last time in New York, when they came up against India for their 2024 T20 World Cup group game. "There were a lot of players (in the India side) that I had played with. We had reached for that game early. We interacted nicely, and when the time came for the national anthems, we were like, which one to sing? We decided we will sing both," recalled Harmeet during an interaction a few days before the tournament. Mumbai products Harmeet, Netravalkar and Ranjane have enough experience of playing at the Wankhede Stadium. "There are so many special memories of Wankhede," Netravalkar told this paper a few days ago. "I have grown up practicing there, starting with the Mumbai U-15 team off-season camps. But I haven't played too many matches there. In that sense. it will be a good opportunity for me to finally play at the ground at the international level." India captain Suryakumar Yadav, on the eve of the game, recollected playing with them. "Even though they are playing from other countries, it's a good opportunity for them. I have played a lot of cricket with them." "I have played with a lot of them, actually," Harmeet said. "All the players from Mumbai - Rohit (Sharma), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube; then Sanju (Samson), Kuldeep (Yadav), Axar (Patel) and I were in the India U-19 team together." Harmeet believes all three of them could well have been on the other side of the line-up, wearing the India colours. In terms of talent, he believes they were as good as anybody. The journey has been defined by who got the chances at the right time and who missed out. Harmeet is an India Under-19 World Cup winner in 2012. Along with Netravalkar, he also played the 2010 U-19 edition where the left-arm pacer was the top wicket-taker for India. "Netravalkar and I have been playing together since our school cricket days. With Ranjane, since the U-13 days. He first played for Maharashtra and then came to Mumbai (playing club cricket) for DY Patil together, and Ranji Trophy. In batting also, we go next to each other, and know each other's game," Harmeet said. "It's a bit about destiny. Suryakumar and Shreyas Iyer got good runs, they became international players. It's not that Shubham and I were not good enough. Everyone is working equally hard. There's so much talent in Mumbai. Apart from the 15 who are playing, there are 50 more players who are equal or as good, but you have to get the opportunity. "When the India players, especially from Mumbai, come to play in the USA, they make so many runs. Compared to a player from other countries who have played 100 or 50 first-class games, the Mumbai batters come and simply dominate. That's what Ranjane has done. He got the opportunity here, he chased it. Because we were deprived of so many opportunities, when we get it, we jump on it," added Harmeet, who now resides in the same neighbourhood as Ranjane in Houston. Harmeet and Netravalkar played in the last T20 World Cup co-hosted by the US. This is Ranjane's first World Cup. The three have shaped up nicely for the tournament with good showing in the two warm-ups games. In the 2024 edition, USA made headlines for making the Super Eights through some stellar performances in the group stage, which included a Super Over win against former champions Pakistan. USA have impressed in the two warm-up games. They will fancy their chances for an upset win again. Big guns in their group, including India and Pakistan, will certainly not take them lightly....