How many of us know about Sachin Tendulkar’s joining of Air Force? And about MS Dhoni’s joining the Army? The odds are, probably all of us. But all this time, what we fail to realise is that one of the Squadron Leaders of the Indian Air Force has been playing for the national women cricket team. Readers, introducing you to Squadron Leader Shikha Pandey, Jersey Number 12 of Indian Women Cricket Team and an officer in the Indian Air Force.
Squadron Leader Shikha Pandey is a right-arm medium pacer and a middle-order batter in the National Women Cricket Team and the first national women cricket player from Goa.
Education:
Fl Lt Shikha Pandey was academically inclined, scoring 90-plus in her class 10 and class 12 CBSE exams. According to her, “It’s an age where most people contemplate a career. Around that time, an officer from the Services came down to my school to give a lecture on a career in the Indian Air Force as the school was situated in a defence set-up. That fired my imagination and I decided then that I wanted to be an Air Force pilot. The desire to serve the country was so big and my first route towards that dream was to do engineering.”
Curious Shikha took the Air Force Common Admission Test followed by the Services Selection Board and came out with flying colours. “I just gave the exam randomly and I got through,” she laughs. “Even at that stage, I wasn’t too keen on a job because cricket was the only thing in my mind. I didn’t make it to the England team then and as destiny had it, I joined the Indian Air Force.”
She has completed her Bachelor in Engineering (BE) in Electrical and Electronics from Goa’s premier Goa College of Engineering and is presently employed with the Indian Air Force as a Flight Lieutenant.
From Engineering to Cricket:
During the summer vacation, young Shikha would spend her time watching cricket matches and bowling against a wall, imitating the actions of various international bowlers, her best impersonation being that of Daniel Vettori.
Shikha’s first encounter with professional cricket came at the age of 17 when she was selected to the Women Senior State Side to represent the state in the 2007-08 Season. In the same season, she represented Goa’s under-19 team as vice-captain, the under-19 South Zone team, and several others.
It was her performance in her first major tournament that changed it all. In an Under-19 inter-state tournament in Hyderabad, she scored three half-centuries for Goa and didn’t fare too badly with the ball either, earning a spot in the Under-19 South Zone team. She also led Goa to the Senior Women’s T20 Super League stage this season, almost toppling Railways, the defending champions.
The struggle for cricket in Air Force:
After her selection in the Air Force, work hours left little time for much else. Although she couldn’t become an Air Force pilot, she is an ATC officer – a demanding job with a lot of responsibility. There was a possibility of her not being able to play cricket again. But it wasn’t quite the end.
She was a bit apprehensive but got all the support from the Services Sports Control Board and the Air Force Sports Control Board.
But there was a catch. Although Services continued to field their men’s team in the Ranji Trophy, there were no provisions for a woman player – Shikha was the first for Services.
In March 2014, she was selected to the Indian Women’s Team to play for the World Cup.
Following the World Cup, India played a historical test match against England after eight long years, and the match was a dream-come-true for Shikha.
Shikha’s Achievements in cricket and her experience:
Speaking about her most memorable experience, she says, “Hitting the winning runs together with Mithali Raj against England in one of the tests that we played at Wormsley, England, in August, was an amazing experience. Also, my five-wicket haul against Haryana in the one-day tournament and a 56 ball 73 against Jharkhand in the T-20 tournament are some of the moments I’ll always cherish.”
Shikha says that there is a vast difference between playing at the national level and the international level. She feels that this gap can be bridged only by playing lots of matches, as this helps improve game standards.
