"I found another Jemi"- Smriti Mandhana's hilarious first memory of Shreyanka Patil

Although Shreyanka Patil made her India debut against England earlier this week, she has already played under Smriti Mandhana for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).

Smriti shared a great bond with fellow Indian teammate Jemimah Rodrigues and felt that Shreyanka was a similar, jolly character. The southpaw even claimed that she told Jemimah that she had found almost her carbon copy.

Speaking to Shreyanka Patil in a video posted by BCCI, here's what Smriti Mandhana had to say about how these two players keep the dressing room atmosphere great:

​

"I think when I first saw you at RCB in WPL, I remember telling Jemi (Jemimah) that I found another Jemi (laughs) because of the way you both are chirpy and keep the dressing room light and these characters are really important in team environment. One Jemi was enough for me and now I have two with similar problems (smiles). But you guys make us realize that it's important to enjoy the game as well."

---

Smriti Mandhana on importance of winning third T20I

Smriti Mandhana scored a classy 48 as India got over the line in the final T20I against England by five wickets. Although the series was done and dusted, Mandhana felt the hosts needed to get a win under their belt and take that momentum into the one-off Test.

On this, she stated:

​

"Really happy to have our first win of the home season after a long time and I am hoping we continue this momentum in the Test as well. (On her talk in huddle) Sometimes you come into such games thinking that the series is gone, but one game can shift the momentum. Really happy we could get the win on the board."

India will be playing a home Test after nine long years and will want to use the momentum of the third T20I win to start well.

​