She hogged the limelight on Sunday after playing a vital role in RCB’s WPL victory, but on Tuesday night, ‘Purple Cap’ winner Shreyanka Patil got a chance to enjoy a rare ‘fan girl’ moment with Virat Kohli. The 21-year-old spinner, who thrust herself into the spotlight with her winning performances at the death in both the elimination round and final, went viral on social media when she realized her childhood idol actually knew her name. Non-stop gushing.

“Started watching him play cricket. Dreamed of being like him since childhood. Last night, this was the moment of my life,” she wrote on ‘X’ and posted a picture of her with Kohli at RCB’ Photos from the Unbox’ event.

“Virat said, ‘Hey Shreyanka, good bowling.’ He actually knew my name,” the surreal feeling has yet to dissipate, as can be understood from her post.

Started watching his cricket matches. I have dreamed of becoming like him since I was a child. Last night, I had the moment of my life. Virat said,
“Hey Shreyanka, good game.”
He actually knows my name #StillAFanGirl #Good role model pic.twitter.com/z3DB0C8Pt0

— Shreyanka Patil (@shreyanka_patil) March 20, 2024

Shreyanka, who was bought by RCB at a base price of Rs 10 lakh in last year’s inaugural WPL auction, took six wickets in seven games, the most in her team.

In September, the 21-year-old umpire represented Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL and took the most wickets (nine) in the tournament.

Her performance caught the attention of the Indian selectors, who called her up for the home T20 series against England in December last year, and she made her international debut on December 6.

Since then, these young players, who have battled injuries, have used their performance to earn a place in the national team without looking back.

Shreyanka has represented India in two ODIs and six T20Is so far, picking up 4 and 8 wickets respectively.