In an exclusive chat with The Bridge, India’s pacer Shikha Pandey shared her experiences post the dream run of Indian team in Women’s World Cup 2017. Talking about her personal growth, she said, “The World Cup in 2017 was a great learning curve for me and I grew a lot professionally and personally. For me two things stood out- we had each other’s back the whole tournament and everyone performed when they got an opportunity. It was a total team effort.”
Putting light on the implications of the tournament on women’s cricket, she said that women’s cricket has finally got its long due recognition and appreciation. A lot has changed since then. A huge number of girls are joining academies to learn cricket and we see a huge number turning up for selections as well. With all the investments being made by BCCI in women’s game, the scenario can only get better”, she said.
She believes that staying grounded and being thankful even during success are crucial for a sportsperson to keep going. Expressing her hopefulness in Women’s IPL, she said, “The WIPL can greatly help women’s cricket as domestic players will get to rub shoulders with international stars and will get media attention. That, in turn, will allow them to remain calm in pressure situations.”
‘Gully’ cricket player and close observer of Indian Cricket team and it’s matches. Straight forward and still socially admirable personality. Strong belief in teamwork and possess high leadership skills.