“He’s been an inspiration for me and many youngsters in India or over the world.” Shreyanka Patil speaks about her Idol Virat Kohli.
The 21-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder from Karnataka, Bangalore has been a young sensation who has been impressive whenever she’s got the opportunity to display her skills with the ball.
Royal Challengers Bangalore led by skipper Smriti Mandhana scripted a sensational bounce-back story to clinch their maiden WPL title by defeating the Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning by 8 wickets in the final, ending their 16-year-long wait for an elusive trophy in franchise cricket. They had only managed a couple of victories in the inaugural edition of the WPL. Shreyanka Patil was one of the stand-out performers with the ball for Royal Challengers Bangalore, especially in the 2nd half of the tournament which was played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
She ended up as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 13 wickets to her name at a strike rate of 9.92, an average of 12.07, and an economy of 7.30 in 8 innings. Her best performance with the ball in the season came in the final against Delhi Capitals on 17th March 2024, when she returned with exceptional match figures (3.3-0-12-4) with the ball. She owned the purple cap and was awarded the Emerging Player of the Tournament for WPL 2024.
“I love him so much. I think I have a special connection with Virat because I grew up watching him play so he’s been an inspiration for me and many youngsters in India and all over the world, so when we won the cup he gave a sweet message, for me and actually the highlight for me for the year now. He said, Hi Shreyanka, well bowled, and that’s still in my mind. It’s still going on and on, and so it’s something, very special moment for me.” Shreyanka Patil speaks about her admiration for her role model Virat Kohli in a recent interview on Times Now Summit 2024.
She was also the Player of the Tournament for her exceptional performance with the ball as she picked up 9 wickets at an economy rate of 2.14 in the Emerging Women’s Asia Cup 2023. She was also the leading wicket-taker of the tournament representing Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League 2023, with 9 wickets to her name at an average of 11.66 in five innings.
She made her international debut on 6th December 2023 in a T20I against England at the Wankhede Stadium. She has picked up 8 wickets at an average of 19.75 and an economy of 8.03 in six innings. Her best performance with the ball came against England on 10th December 2023 when she returned with match figures (4-0-19-3) in the 3rd T20I. In the ODI format, she has picked up four wickets at an average of 25 and an economy of 5 in two innings. Her best performance with the ball in the ODI format came against Australia on 2nd January 2024 when she returned with match figures (10-0-57-3) in the 3rd ODI.
(Information sourced from Times Now Summit 2024 Interview).