The Champion Code: Shreyanka Patil on manifestation, India, RCB fame and World Cup dream

What does it take to reach the top in Indian cricket? In a candid conversation on The Champion Code with Rupha Ramani, Shreyanka Patil reflects on the journey that has shaped her into one of India's brightest young stars.

From visualising her India debut long before it became reality to emerging as a fan favourite through the WPL, Shreyanka discusses the mindset, preparation and self-belief that drive her success. She shares insights into the culture of the Indian women's dressing room, the influence of leaders like Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, and the inspirational role played by Ellyse Perry during RCB's title-winning campaign.

Shreyanka also explains why she remains convinced that bowlers are still match-winners in the modern game, embracing growing popularity, the rise of women's cricket and India's preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

What does it mean to represent India and wear the Indian jersey?

Shreyanka Patil: For me, more than anything, I love cricket. When I picked up a bat and ball, that described to me what it feels like to be a cricketer. And it's something which l enjoy. I love cricket. So as a kid, I've always dreamt of wearing this jersey and playing for my country. And now that I am privileged and I'm the lucky one who's wearing this, I think no better feeling than this, so I'm just grateful and happy to be here wearing this jersey and playing for my own country.

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The T20 World Cup is just weeks away. Are you already feeling the nerves?

Shreyanka Patil: Nerves, excitement. I just love playing cricket, so I just wanna be there playing, enjoying every small bit of me playing, like me celebrating a wicket, not just mine, celebrating the team's victory. In any given way, I just love playing cricket, and I love celebrating. So yeah, I'm just super excited to go to England and, get the trophy.

How would you describe the atmosphere inside the Indian dressing room?

Shreyanka Patil: Our dressing room vibe, if I have to describe that in one word, it's proper Indian culture, proper India it is. So from south to north to east to west, whatnot? We have a Punjabi vibe. We have a South Indian vibe. So all put together, it's like a bang. We just love dancing. We love singing. We love pulling each other's leg. So it's just like- A classroom where we just enjoy each other's success, enjoy each other. It's just fun to be in our dressing room.

When you first walked into the Indian dressing room, who helped calm your nerves?

Shreyanka Patil: When I walked in, more than nervousness, I was very excited. Because I had already put myself in that situation before. I am someone who strongly believes in manifestation and visualization, so I've already done that. Even when you talk about my bowling, they say when under pressure, I kind of deliver well, all of that. But more than delivering it in the game, I've already done that before, like, 100 times.

So my journey started five years back. I debuted five years back, is what I think mentally. Because I'm someone who wants to be well prepared before I'm prepared, kind of a thing. So when I walked in, it was like, "Okay, I've done this before." I had that feeling. But yeah, obviously, my nerves would be there, and excitement would be there. You'll have to calm down before you actually walk into the field. Smriti (Mandhana) is the one who actually calmed me. I just go to her, even when I'm excited, when I'm upset. With any emotions, I just go to her, and I feel safe.

Where does this mindset of manifestation and visualization come from?

Shreyanka Patil: The 2017 World Cup changed a lot of things in cricket. I took this game very seriously. The mindset of many young cricketers would have changed and thought of a cricket career. When we saw the 2017 World Cup, we had that desire and hunger to win it.

A couple of years back, I met Arjun sir, who kind of led me to this route, thinking, "Okay, you have to be ahead of the sport. You can't go there and think, 'Okay, what's gonna happen next? So do everything before. Be prepared. Be ready for that moment."

So I think that kind of changed me. Initially, it was hard for me. Obviously, when you start something new, you will take some time. But then I was happy that I kind of finished that hard route, and now I'm in that very peaceful stage where I know what manifesting and visualization are, and I strongly believe in that because that's something which has helped me personally, so I love to keep it going.

Women's cricket has grown enormously in recent years. How do you view that change?

Shreyanka Patil: I mean, we haven't spoken about it, but I've actually heard people speak about it. I'm happy that I was not playing cricket then or I was not born before, because I am someone who loves playing in front of a crowd. I enjoy people shouting, "India, India!" I can't see myself playing in an empty stadium. I've never imagined doing that. I've always imagined 20,000 people watching me play.

So obviously, there's a great shift from then to now. Smriti and Harmanpreet (Kaur), they have seen that growth from what it was like and what it is now. It's a huge, huge jump altogether now with WPL being introduced.

When I played WPL for the first time, it was the first season, I was a domestic player and, and I didn't know what it felt like to be playing in front of 20,000 people. So that gave us a lot of confidence. We gained a lot of confidence from that, knowing each other, speaking to overseas players, and also mingling with legends like Ellyse Perry and Smriti Mandhana.

It's a great platform for us. So I think that kind of gave us a lot of boost for a lot of young cricketers, domestic players. And when you get into the Indian team, it's like, "Okay, I've done this before. I have played this brand of cricket in WPL."

It's become a little easier for us because we have this platform. Back then, they didn't have. They hardly played games. Now we play so many games, we get to learn a lot of things, and we kind of make mistakes and learn from them.

I think back then, they had very few resources as well. Now that we have this beautiful setup. Back then, they kind of struggled with all of this. They didn't have the resources, attention, or facilities. I've heard people talk about it. I think now the hard work has been done by them and we are the ones who have to carry the legacy that they've left.

What is the most valuable lesson you've learned from an overseas player?

Shreyanka Patil: I'll actually point out one moment. This was during the 2024 WPL Eliminator, where we played against MI. We thought we were out of the game, but the team environment was such that we were so happy. We were just enjoying each and every ball.

It was like- Easy. Easy. We thought, "Okay, fine. Maybe our last game, we'll just enjoy. We've come so far."

And then we had a small break, and then Elyse Perry came in and she's like, she took two minutes. She's like, "We got this, girls."

So she kind of suddenly changed the vibe. Suddenly, it went from happy to aggressive. I don't know what to say, how to describe that. Yeah. But those two minutes- The mood of coming together as a team kind of helped us.

And then from there, our mindset was something else, and we kind of won that game from nowhere. We had no business winning that game. Yeah. We had no business winning that game, and we pulled off that blinder of a game, and then we reached the finals and we won our maiden WPL trophy.

I mean, that was a special moment for us, and I will never forget that moment where Elyse Perry came to us, got all the players as a team, and then a few talks, few motivational sentences, and then that changed.

In an era dominated by big hitters, what would you tell young bowlers?

Shreyanka Patil: I mean, in this generation, we know that IPL, WPL, it's all about power. It's all about hitting those sixes, hitting those boundaries at will, and we can see that change in women's cricket as well now...

But bowlers are the ones who win games. Yes. So we should never forget that bowlers win games. If you see a (Jasprit) Bumrah, if you see a Lauren Bell. Name anybody, like the number one bowler. Like Bumrah has done it day in and day out.

When Virat actually stood on the stage at Wankhede Stadium and took Jasprit Bumrah's name, he knew what impact he had made for that team to win that trophy.

So I think that is a standout. You have to be a standout bowler. I mean, in this era of cricket, you have to be a standout bowler, and that comes with a lot of heart.

Yes, batters are doing great, but if you step in and say that, "I'm gonna take out this game from nowhere," you will stand out, and bowlers are gonna win you games.

And I'm a strong believer that there's no bowler like ... You can't say like, "Okay, you're only death over bowler. You're only middle over bowler." I think bowlers should start thinking, "I want to bowl in all three phases." If you are ready for it, I think you'll be the best bowler for your team.

What are India's preparations like ahead of the T20 World Cup?

Shreyanka Patil: I mean, now that we have got the taste of lifting the trophy in 2025, when Hari di did that step and she collected the trophy, I think the whole of India celebrated it, and we can't wait to see India celebrate it all over again, and we kind of lift that trophy again, and it'll be our first T20 trophy- So we are, uh, excited.

The prep is going really well. We are all roaring to go, just helping each other. So here's so much communication, there's so much clarity, there's so much understanding because you have to understand your players. At the end of the day, you're playing as a team, so you have to understand your players. You all have to be on one page, and that is happening so well in our team now, and I just can't wait to go out there, play as a team, win as a team, and come here and celebrate with our fans.