The same opponent, a different man: How Monank Patel has rewritten himself since 2024

Haris Rauf taunted, "Inki kabare yahi gadenge" (we'll dig their graves right here), as Monank Patel prodded uncertainly early on. That remark jolted him from tentativeness into a sublime, match-winning half-century, transforming him into an overnight sensation. With that knock, he wrote himself into cricketing folklore—a dream born on the dusty lanes of Mahelav, a tiny hamlet in Gujarat.

Since that day, life has changed decisively. Patel signed his first commercial contract, a deal with Vadilal ice cream. Fame followed him home to Anand, where locals now show up almost daily for selfies; he has paused for close to 700 fan photographs in the past year and a half.

Two years on, the opponent is familiar. The man is not. Monank’s progress was evident in the 2025 MLC season, where he topped the run charts, edging past some of the world’s finest T20 batters. He credits this surge to a deliberately reshaped T20 avatar, built on subtle stance changes and a constant quest to stay ahead of video analysts.

"I only limited shots in the powerplay earlier. I was more focused on technique. That is important but it does not give you access to all shots. When it stops swinging after 2-3 overs, planting your leg in the line of the ball is not necessary. I thought my shots were getting restricted. I saw myself on TV and realized that. That prompted me to root my left leg outside of the leg stump during my stance when I need boundaries. My new stance opened up a lot of scoring options," said Monank.

For a long time, Monank struggled to translate his prolific 50-over output into comparable T20 returns, held back by a natural inertia to reinvent himself. That realization has since dawned. He now embraces the shortest format, deploying the ramp, the upper cut, and variations of the slog sweep as release shots.

"You have to develop one new shot every 5-6 months. I didn’t have all the shots in the book. Nowadays it is very easy to tie a batsman down if the opposition video analyst is smart. You have to be ahead of the game. T20 is all about good starts and that can only happen with a range of strokes," added Monank.

Monank has also taken a leap forward in life. His marriage marked a quiet inflection point. Once easygoing to the point of carelessness—misplacing his driving licence and known for late nights—that man no longer exists.

In the past three months, Monank has become a teetotaler. On his own Sangeet night, he was in bed by 11 p.m. by choice. He now works with a sleep coach, structures his days with discipline, and guards his routines seriously. Marriage has clarified him.

"I just decided to give more time to myself. Eating well, not drinking frequently, focusing on recovery and time management. To get maximum out of your practice sessions, for those high intensity trainings, a lot depends on what you did before coming to the ground or hitting the gym."

Monank arrives at this World Cup better prepared, more disciplined, and clearer about his methods. Pakistan will be raring to settle old scores. But there is every chance the new Monank may keep them waiting.