During a difficult injury layoff that kept her out of action for more than a year, India off-spinner Shreyanka Patil disclosed that she battled depression and even thought about giving up cricket.
The off-spinner, who produced a cost-effective spell in India’s 64-run triumph against Pakistan in the Women’s T20 World Cup in Birmingham on Sunday, gave tribute to her solid support network for enabling her get through the challenging time and successfully return to the national team.
After suffering a fractured finger during an Asia Cup match against Pakistan in July 2024, Shreyanka was out for almost 14 months. Before she eventually made a comeback to action for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL earlier this year, she had serious shin problems in both legs and a damaged left thumb.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t depressed or that I didn’t think about giving up cricket. That’s how I felt initially during the injury phase. But there was a voice inside me saying, ‘No matter what, I love playing this sport. I’m here only because I love playing it’,” PTI quoted Shreyanka telling JioStar.
“So, I couldn’t give up on something I love doing. I kept my head high, my dad kept talking to me, and my family supported me throughout. The atmosphere around me and the strong support system I had, I was always surrounded by great people. That kept me going.
“I love being back on the field now, and I won’t let that feeling go,” added the spinner who conceded only 17 runs in three overs as India defended a 170-run target against bitter rivals Pakistan.
Shreyanka stated that she likes the challenge of playing in those high-pressure overs even if the powerplay frequently tips the scales in favor of batters. Her concentration is on limiting runs and making the opposition make mistakes since fielding constraints provide scoring opportunities.
“I’ve always enjoyed bowling in the powerplay, whether it’s for my state team or for India. It’s amazing to bowl under pressure because that’s what I love doing, and it’s something I’ve successfully done in the past.
“It was fun bowling to a left-hander. We had a couple of missed chances, but Deepti’s (Sharma) five-wicket haul made up for it all. It’s a great win for us to start the tournament, and we did so with a convincing margin,” she added.
Despite their convincing victory over Pakistan, Shreyanka emphasized that India, the reigning Women’s World Cup winners, must maintain concentration because they would face tough opponents like Australia and South Africa.
“We know that Australia and South Africa are top teams as well. It’s a World Cup, and you never know; anything can happen. So, you have to be at your best on the given day, and if you do everything right, you’ll end up on the winning side,” she said.
