Birmingham, Jun 15 (PTI) India off-spinner Shreyanka Patil has revealed that she struggled with depression and even considered quitting cricket during a challenging injury layoff that kept her out of action for more than a year.
The off-spinner, who delivered an economical spell in India’s 64-run victory over Pakistan in the Women’s T20 World Cup here on Sunday, credited her strong support system for helping her navigate the difficult period and make a successful return to the national side.
Shreyanka spent nearly 14 months on the sidelines after a fractured finger sustained during an Asia Cup match against Pakistan in July 2024. Her injury woes continued with severe shin issues in both legs and a fractured left thumb, before she finally returned to action for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL earlier this year.
“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’,” Shreyanka told 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 just 17 runs in three overs as India defended a 170-run total with ease against arch-rivals Pakistan.
While the powerplay often tilts the balance in favour of batters, Shreyanka said she enjoys the challenge of operating in those high-pressure overs. With fielding restrictions creating scoring opportunities, her focus is on containing runs and forcing mistakes from the opposition.
“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.
Shreyanka stressed that India, the defending Women’s World Cup champions, must remain focused despite their dominant win over Pakistan, noting that formidable opponents such as South Africa and Australia await in the tournament.
“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. PTI AM AM AH AH
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