"Never got an opportunity to play inside the nets" - RCB's Shreyanka Patil opens up on her cricketing journey

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) all-rounder Shreyanka Patil recently spoke about her cricketing journey. She recalled how she started playing the game at her father's academy when she was just around eight years old.

Speaking on RCB's YouTube channel, Patil mentioned that she didn't get much chance to bat when she was young. The talented youngster stated that her father would often ask her to bat against a hanging ball or do catching practice.

Describing her introduction to cricket, Patil said:

"I started playing cricket when I was eight-nine years old. I was very young at that time. I didn't know what cricket was then. The hanging ball story is highlighted at the moment because, although it was my dad's academy, I never got an opportunity to play inside the nets.

"He was like, 'Go, just play hanging ball, take catches'. That's how my cricket journey as such started. It was just hanging ball and fielding. That's why I love fielding."

The 20-year-old revealed that she tried out several things, including leg spin, fast bowling, and wicketkeeping before finally settling on off spin. Patil noted that she became an off-spinner just days before appearing for the U16 selection for the Karnataka team, adding:

"Batting was not at all in the picture. When I started, batting was not at all my thing. It's a very funny thing, I started as a pacer, then I turned into a leg spinner, and that didn't work.

"I wanted to do wicketkeeping, that didn't work. The last option was off-spin, and that worked. One week before the U16 selection, I turned into an off-spinner and I got picked for the state. I was like, 'Oh, this is weird'."

Notably, Patil was picked by RCB for her base price of ₹10 lakh at the auction for the inaugural season of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL). Apart from being a crafty spinner, she can also chip in with valuable contributions with the bat.

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"Those two years of my batting journey have become amazing" - Shreyanka Patil on sharpening her batting prowess

Shreyanka Patil further stated that her coach Arjun Dev made her realize that she has the potential to become a capable batter. She pointed out that she worked on that particular aspect of her game for a couple of years.

The emerging player mentioned that she relishes playing as a finisher in the RCB side and suggested that she has put in all the hard work to be well-suited for the crucial position.

She added:

"When I met Arjun sir two or three years back, he was like, 'You have something in you, and we can work towards your batting as well'. Those two years of my batting journey have become amazing.

"It's made me believe that I'm a batter, and after that, to be playing No.5 of No.4 in the Karnataka side itself is a big takeaway for me. Now, as you all see, I'm just doing that finishing role, which I am really happy about because I've worked towards it."

Patil has impressed many with her performances in WPL 2023. She scored 23 off 15 in her debut match against Mumbai Indians (MI).

The youngster remained unbeaten on 11 off just four balls in the subsequent match against Gujarat Giants (GG). She also picked up two wickets in the encounter.

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