Shreyanka Patil, the young all-rounder for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, spoke about her interaction with Virat Kohli when he came to visit their team dressing room after they had lost five matches in a row to start the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 campaign earlier this year. At one point during the conversation, the 20-year-old mentioned that the former national captain, who changed the face of Indian cricket, is like a god to her.
While speaking with Sportstar, Shreyanka Patil talked about how she wasn’t aware of Virat Kohli coming to meet the RCB players in the middle of the WPL 2023 season. When he arrived at their team room, she was shocked to see India's batting superstar. Then, Patil kept on staring at Kohli for a couple of minutes without giving any heed to what he was saying.
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She said, “Team meeting wa s just happening and I was just sitting and watching what was happening and suddenly he walks through the door and I just said okay, fine, someone must’ve come to the support staff or something. And then, I again saw, there was Virat Kohli and I was shocked, I just had, I said what he is doing here, why is he here, I was so shocked.”
“Because we had lost five matches then, we were all little, not so in a good space. So he came and then, I just started staring him, actually to be very honest couple of minutes what he spoke I really didn’t give attention to that, because I was just staring at him. I said he is so fit, he is so calm here, why is he aggressive there, I just had so many things going on in my head (articulates in an excited manner), I just couldn’t stop thinking,” added the young all-round cricketer.
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Shortly afterwards, the 34-year-old, Shreyanka Patil got her wits about herself, before she started to listen to the words of wisdom shared by Virat Kohli at the RCB camp. She remarked, “Then I was like, ok fine. Then when I started listening to what he was actually talking, I learned so much because he just boosted our confidence just in no time. The way he explained his journey with the RCB when they lost a couple of matches in 2019. So I was able to relate, as a team we were able to relate to what he was talking and that kind of boosted us and rubbed off confidence in our team as well.”
“And more than anything, the way he talks, he is so honest, he can just change the vibe in just no time. So if I see a Pani Puri or cake, I’ll be like ah! Let me go eat, yes I am young, I’ll have those cravings and all of that, but I want to get to that standard. I want to reach that level of how strict he is with his diet, with his fitness and how well he is able to train. After scoring hundred in the Test match he goes hit the gym to just boost his stamina. So that’s something which I want in me. Those are the positive things which I see in him and that’s the reason why I think he is like god to me,” alluded Shreyanka Patil.
