Shreyanka Patil trains with Kevin Pietersen in Mumbai while rested from India’s Zimbabwe T20I series

Shreyanka Patil trained with former England captain Kevin Pietersen at the Mumbai maidans on 2026-10-08 while she was rested for India’s upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe. She later posted about the outing on Instagram, writing: “That was so much fun. Much-needed day out,” Shreyanka wrote on Instagram.

Patil’s Mumbai session comes after a challenging spell with injuries this year: she suffered an ankle injury while fielding against the Netherlands in the Women’s T20 World Cup in June and was ruled out of the remainder of that tournament. She recovered in time to return to competitive cricket at the Asian Games in Japan and was part of India’s gold-medal-winning squad as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side successfully defended the women’s T20 cricket title. The ankle setback followed an earlier period when she had to fight to re-establish herself in the India setup after an extended absence.

During the Mumbai practice Patil bowled a few deliveries to Pietersen, who used the crease to manoeuvre the ball and also stepped out to drive one down the ground. Patil struck Pietersen on the pads at one point and immediately appealed, introducing a competitive edge to what otherwise appeared to be a relaxed session. Video and images from the practice captured those moments.

A post shared by Kevin Pietersen | The Switch (@kptheswitch)

Patil shared a glimpse of the outing on her Instagram account and described the day as a break from routine work. The social-media posts provided the main public record of the session.

For Patil, time away from international selection can be an opportunity to refine her bowling plans and test herself against a high-calibre batter; training with Pietersen offered that specific match-up and practice environment. The session gave her additional match practice after returning to action at the Asian Games following the ankle injury.

Shreyanka Patil was not included in India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe; the selectors have opted for a group featuring several younger players with Smriti Mandhana named as captain. The Mumbai training outing therefore preceded India’s preparations for that Zimbabwe series and represents Patil’s personal preparation while not in the selected squad.