Shreyanka Patil ready to make up for lost time after 11 months out as she is readying herself for the WCPL.
Back on the field after 11 months, Shreyanka Patil is ready to ‘just roar’ again.
Before Sunday’s Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) opener against the Barbados Royals, Shreyanka Patil broke down in tears. These were tears of relief, though, in contrast to the several times she has sobbed over the past year. The 23-year-old was back playing competitive cricket after 11 months of being limited by what seemed like an endless round of injuries.
Against the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Patil bowled three offspin overs without taking a wicket for 33 runs. It wasn’t terrific, but the stats didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. “Happy to be back on the pitch, playing cricket” was all Patil had to say.
Patil has had a turbulent year and a half. She even questioned whether she would ever play cricket again. There were moments when she considered simply taking a long vacation to consider her options.
Shreyanka Patil and her litany of injuries
She broke her left hand’s fourth finger during a women’s Asia Cup match against Pakistan in July of last year, starting the injury cycle. After her recovery, she played for India in the October T20 World Cup.
Patil participated throughout the entire competition, although she quickly suffered from Grade 3 shin splints in both of her legs. She missed three or four months of play because of that. The problem resurfaced and pushed her comeback farther away just as she had gone through all the hassles and started training.
Patil’s suffering didn’t end there. She experienced a stress reaction in her wrist following the shin splints. Earlier this year, she recovered and joined the Indian squad for a bowlers’ camp. She fractured her thumb during a fielding exercise on the first day after completing all of her examinations. She was first included in the India A T20 squad for the three-match series in Australia in July of this year, but she was later left off the roster.
“I wasn’t sure how long I was going to miss cricket. I thought it was going to be about four to five months,” she said. “Then I had to miss a couple of tournaments. And then they [at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru] said maybe a little longer. Whenever they said that, I used to break down because missing games is something I don’t like.
“I used to go back to my room, cry, take out my anger and just… I didn’t know how to express my feelings because that was my first time not playing cricket for such a long period. I did get mentally affected.”
The Road to Rehab
She took a long time to get better. Her coach, family, and teammates from India were all behind her. She painted, learnt to play the guitar, tried her hand at several sports, and travelled to Wimbledon as a diversion. She also began keeping a journal in which she documented her daily activities.
Patil also spent a lot of time at the CoE when she was in treatment. It was difficult to be in and out of the CoE. She would enter, receive the all-clear, sustain another injury, and then re-enter. But slowly, she accepted her circumstances. There, she made several friends, including Suryakumar Yadav, who was recuperating from surgery for a sports hernia.
“Initially, it was tricky,” Patil said. “Then once I started spending a lot of time with all the friends [at CoE], I got comfortable with them. I started sharing my own injury story, and they did too. SKY is such a lovely person. He was there for about one month or so, my last rehab bit.
“He kept motivating me. When I was doing my practice session, he would encourage me, help me in the gym. Obviously, someone like SKY coming and talking to us makes a huge difference.
“I started enjoying my rehab. I started enjoying each and every session. Everyone was encouraging everyone there and it was such a lovely environment to be around.”
The Way Ahead
As of right now, Patil is injury-free and prepared to make up lost time. She was ready for the possibility that she may not be included in India’s ODI World Cup squad, which starts later this month. Her return to the WCPL, where she initially made headlines in 2023 as the highest wicket-taker, seems quite appropriate.
Patil now knows her body better and knows when to push and when to quit after being away from cricket for 11 months. She wants to “go out there, perform, win games” because she has had enough pouting.