'Was Depressed, Thought About Giving Up Cricket': India's T20 World Cup Star's Blunt Confession Steals Spotlight After Thrashing Pakistan

India made a stunning start to their Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign by thrashing Pakistan by 64 runs at Edgbaston on Sunday. After snapping up their maiden ODI World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co will now aim to end their T20 World Cup drought this year.

Shreyanka Patil Opened Up On Off-pitch Struggles

Women In Blue have not had the ideal preparation for their T20 World Cup but have now emerged as one of the favourites for the title. Shreyanka Patil wasn't a part of India's ODI World Cup-winning squad. But her strong performance in the shortest format earned her a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.

Her performance against Pakistan was central to India's plans, and she now opened up on her difficult period off the pitch.

In a chat with JioStar, she said, "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.' 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."

India Thrashed Pakistan To Start Women's T20 WC Journey

Coming to the match, Smriti Mandhana's explosive 68 and a late fiery blitz from Richa Sharma helped India post 170 runs on the board. It didn't look enough, but the Indian bowler made sure Pakistan didn't reach their desired target at any cost. Wickets kept falling at the start, and the experienced Deepti Sharma once again struck at crucial occasions to derail Pakistan's plans.

Her record-breaking five-wicket haul set the stage, and India will now take on the Netherlands on June 17.

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