Was a bit nervous and excited; will bounce back pretty well, says Shreyanka Patil

Mumbai, Dec 7 (IANS) 2023 had turned out to be a breakthrough year for off-spin all-rounder Shreyanka Patil, who came into the spotlight through brilliant performances in Women’s Premier League (WPL), the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) and in Emerging Women’s Asia Cup.

On Wednesday, Shreyanka’s 2023 hit a crescendo when she made her international debut in the T20I series opener against England at the Wankhede Stadium. With her bowling, Shreyanka returned with figures of 2/44, taking out captain Heather Knight and wicketkeeper Amy Jones, though she dropped a return catch of Player of the Match Nat Sciver-Brunt.

“Firstly, I was very happy that I got the (India) cap. I was a bit nervous and excited. I couldn’t get the proper sleep, but then after the first one-two balls, I was fine and that I belong here. It is not a big deal, but we will look at our shortcomings, what can we do better in the next game. It’s just a learning step and we will bounce back pretty well.”

“The wicket was amazing to bat on, it wasn’t easy to bowl. But we did a decent job; we will have a discussion with the team on what can be improved later on. Fielding could have been better. We will bounce back much stronger,” said Shreyanka in the post-match press conference.

She also credited the exposure of being with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the WPL giving her learnings in terms of playing with big names and under lights. “It did help me prepare myself, like playing with or against the legends like Harry di (Harmanpreet Kaur), Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah (Rodrigues).”

“It was the start for me and to carry that momentum here was a good achievement for me. Playing under the lights, and bowling under pressure, now I feel like this is where I belong, and I am enjoying it.”

Shreyanka said going ahead, her focus will be on executing her skills better on a given day. “Nat Sciver-Brunt for sure (as first international wicket), but then I missed her catch. I was a little upset, but then these things happen. Yes, we did a lot of scenario-based practise back in Bangalore with my coach Arjun (Dev) sir, very specific,”

“Once you start playing high-level cricket, you need to be more accurate with your practice and what should be done so that the performance comes out well. The execution part is still in the learning phase. Planning is very important, and execution will happen with the experience.”

Shreyanka signed off by saying she will try to be better in bowling the death overs, after giving away 16 runs in the last over of England’s innings. “Personally, I did a good job but we could have varied the pace a little more. The wicket wasn’t that great for bowlers as it was in favour of batters, but maybe I could have landed my yorkers better. Death bowling isn’t easy, to be honest, it isn’t really easy. But I will work on that and come back stronger in the next game.”