Shreyanka Patil is your typical girl next door. She is cheerful and happy-go-lucky. For her friends in Bengaluru, ‘Shreyu’ is a bundle of energy.
Shreyanka carries the same vibe on the ground. She is competitive and thrives on raising the bar, perhaps why, despite a memorable outing in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), she walked up to her coach Arjun Dev and said, “I am not happy with my bowling.”
It’s this zeal to improve that keeps the 20-year-old going. A right-handed batter and an off-spinner, Shreyanka finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Women’s Senior One Day Trophy last season, which eventually earned her a WPL contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore. She did not disappoint, contributing 62 with the bat in seven innings and claiming six wickets.
“This year has been amazing. In terms of batting and bowling, I have been able to make a mark, and more than anything, it’s about the way I have evolved. I am so happy with the change that has happened,” she tells Sportstar.
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Shreyanka remembers the moment she checked into the plush Mumbai hotel ahead of the WPL, surrounded by the biggest names in women’s cricket: Smriti Mandhana, Heather Knight, and Ellyse Perry.
“WPL happened very quickly, but then there was time for enjoyment and learning. It was not like, ‘Oh, it went off so quickly’. I had so much to do in those 30 or 40-odd days,” she says.
Of course, it was not easy to get used to the new setup. Shreyanka was handed her debut quite suddenly. “After the first match, there were hints that I should be ready. Before the second game, (RCB director of cricket) Mike (Hesson) came up to me and said that I was in the final XI. After that, the next three to four hours were extremely nerve-racking,” she recalls.
The big leap: After stellar performances in the WPL and the Emerging Asia Cup, Shreyanka has her eyes trained on making the cut for Indian senior women’s team. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Usually, Shreyanka just puts on her headphones en route to the ground. But that day, “I could not even play the music I wanted to play. I was so nervous! The journey also seemed so long, as it took us one and a half hours to reach the ground. I just wanted to go out there and see what happened,” Shreyanka says.
In the front seat, Perry was listening to music. On any other day, Shreyanka would have struck up a conversation with the Aussie all-rounder. “But that day, I was like, ‘Arrey yaar!’. Even after we reached the ground, I could not believe that I would be making my debut,” she says.
Shreyanka had never faced that kind of pressure before. “The crowds are watching you, then there are expectations from peers and coaches, and everything goes around us. When you have so many stars around you, you often tend to ask yourself, ‘Oh god! What are you going to do now, Shreyanka?’ There will always be a question mark there,” she says.
“I wanted to give my best. I was feeling that extra pressure from outside as well, and there was this constant fear of things going wrong,” she adds.
“That was the first time I was bowling in such an atmosphere. But after bowling a few deliveries, I calmed my nerves and told myself that I had to take things in my stride.”
As the tournament progressed, Shreyanka improved with every ball. “When you are on top of your run-up, you want to get the batters out. It does not matter who’s facing you—be it Nat Sciver-Brunt or Harmanpreet Kaur. But at the same time, there would also be negative thoughts on what if you get hit, or whether the field placement is right.”
Shreyanka would turn to seniors in crunch situations. “Not just the RCB players; whenever we were playing with other teams, I made it a point to go up to the players and talk to them. Even if you don’t know them personally, it’s important for a young cricketer to interact with the senior players and pick their minds,” she says.
After returning home from the WPL, Shreyanka sat down with her coach, Arjun, and assessed her performance.
“None of us were quite happy with my bowling. We both know what I am capable of doing, and I couldn’t reach that standard. Yes, the pressure and the nerves played a major role, but I think I was a bit off with my bowling,” she says.
“Now, when I look back, I think I was perhaps a bit over-excited, and as a result, instead of giving 100 per cent, I ended up giving 120 per cent. But I was happy with my death bowling as I could learn the yorkers as quickly as possible.”
The ‘little learnings’ helped her when she made it to the India A squad for the Emerging Asia Cup. In Hong Kong, Shreyanka claimed nine wickets in two matches, guiding the Indian team to a title victory.
Strong first impression: In her first WPL game, Shreyanka Patil impressed with 23 off 15 balls at No. 8 against the Mumbai Indians. | Photo Credit: Sportzpics / WPL
“Thanks to those learnings from the WPL, I could bowl good offies in the Emerging Asia Cup, and that certainly boosted my confidence,” she says.
During the tournament, she gelled well with all the members of India A. “We had an NCA camp before the tournament, and that helped us know each other better. We spent a lot of time together; we played together, ate together, and had loads of fun. This was one of the reasons why we could communicate so well,” she says.
After stellar performances in the WPL and the Emerging Asia Cup, Shreyanka was hoping to get picked in the Indian senior women’s team for the Bangladesh tour. But that did not happen. “Well, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting a call since I had done decently well. But then, I am not stressed about that because I know I need to put in a lot of effort now. That hard work won’t stop, and I want to be ready so that whenever I get a call-up, I know I am well prepared,” she says.
Shreyanka has also added a new feather in her cap by becoming the first Indian to be part of the Caribbean Premier League. When the women’s tournament of the CPL begins in August, Shreyanka will be playing for the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
“It does not happen every day that you get picked for the CPL, so it’s special to be the first Indian to feature in the league,” she says, adding: “I want to get stronger and more skilled. The idea is to work harder and be ready.”
Shreyanka may have made rapid strides recently, but it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. A few months ago, she had to seek ‘help’ and address ‘ego issues’.
Undoubtedly, that was the toughest part of her career. “I learned that firstly, you should trust yourself and believe in your abilities, rather than people telling you what you are good at. Those days taught me that you should know yourself best, and trust is very important,” she says.
“Accepting things is the key. That’s something that I was lacking, and my coach told me that I don’t accept things. So, I countered him, and instead of giving me a definitive answer, Arjun told me to figure it out. I started thinking and slowly realised where I was going wrong,” she says.
Shreyanka Patil in 2022-23 season
Senior Women’s One Day Trophy (for Karnataka)
Senior Women’s T20 Trophy (for Karnataka)
WPL 2023 (for RCB)
Women’s Emerging Asia Cup (for India A)
Despite being a consistent bowling all-rounder in the local cricket circuit in Bengaluru, she realised her performances dipped during that phase.
“I got angry easily, and there were days when I would leave the ground fuming. I was not ready to accept my mistakes. I thought I didn’t need anyone around me and that I was the best. But that hit me hard,” she says.
“There were days when I struggled as I was not open to criticism; my ego would play a major role. I was not able to perform; I was not able to eat or sleep.”
“All this while I thought I was perfect; I was the best. But I realised I was wrong. It’s not like I am perfect now, but I think I can handle things slightly better now. There are phases when I go off, but those tough days have taught me how to switch on and switch off,” she says, adding with a smile, “the button is in your hands.”
During those challenging times, Shreyanka started writing down her thoughts in a diary and would also draw pictures. That helped her get back on track. As a determined Shreyanka looks back at those ‘dark days’, she believes it is important to be open to learning new things.
That’s what WPL did to her. It allowed her to express herself and made her stronger!
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