AN ELUSIVE World title and an Olympic gold medal are on young spinner Shreyanka Patil’s wish-list as she is ready to embark on a journey in international cricket which promises to be an eventful one.
Patil made a name for herself in the inaugural edition of Women’s Premier League (WPL) for Royal Challengers Bengaluru with a batting strike rate of 150+ (151.22) and six wickets with her off-breaks.
She also became first Indian player to take part in Caribbean Premier League for Guyana Amazon Warriors and picked up nine wickets in four games.
The 21-year-old was rewarded with a call-up to senior women’s side for the WT20I series against England to be played at the Wankhede Stadium on December 6, 9 and 10.
“My topmost goal is always about winning the World Cup for India – I want to be a part of the winning squad. I am working towards that and when the Olympics happens, the gold medal for sure,” Patil said after the conclusion of India Women’s A series against England.
Cricket was included in the Olympics programme for Los Angeles 2028 Games after a gap of 128 years in October.
Patil had a successful outing against England A women with the ball, taking five wickets in three matches, including a player of the match award in the first T20, but she knows that a lot has to be done with the bat too.
“I have been working particularly hard on my bat[1]ting, maybe I have not exhibited as much as I should have in these matches, but I still trust my process and I believe that I can play the shots because I have done it previously,” Patil said.
Having shared the dressing room with the legendary Ellyse Perry in the RCB camp as well as India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and England skipper Heather Knight during the inaugural WPL, Patil terms it “extremely beneficial” to have learnt the nuances of the game from them.
“Before the WPL started, I was just a young girl playing for Karnataka. I was a domestic player, but once I was picked for WPL for the RCB team, I got to rub shoulders with Perry, Smriti di, Heather Knight, all of these legends,” Patil said.
“I could learn so much not just off the field but also on the field,” she added.
“Playing (at) international (level), there is so much of difference, the field set, the speed of the ball maybe, which areas to pick, which bowlers to pick, just picking up the legends’ mind was a key point for me,” she said.
Mannat Kashyap is also a new face in the Indian side for the upcoming series against England.
Kashyap, who won the inaugural ICC U-19 Women’s World Cup earlier this year for India, says that she is ready to step into top flight cricket. “It is a dream come true. I always had it in mind since my childhood that I wanted to play for India,” she said.
A left-arm spinner who can bowl tight line and lengths consistently, Kashyap is looking to take her early lessons with India A into the international circuit. “I try to keep it simple, I do not try anything fancy, most of the times I stick with my normal stock ball,” she said.
“It (India call-up) was a surprise indeed. Playing for India A is a good platform to push on to the senior team. I will carry my confidence from here into the senior team,” Kashyap added.
(Photo credit: PTI)
