Shikha Pandey

Shikha Pandey is one of India’s best cricketers. She has represented her country on many International Cricket platforms, bringing in several accolades. Shikha was born in Karimnagar, Telangana, where she spent her most formative years honing the game of cricket. Her raw talent on the sports field got her noticed by many sports talent hunters like Surekha Bhandare, a former player. It was at the age of 15 that she was chosen to play in Goa’s state team. Besides her growing repute in the cricket industry, she also gave very high precedence to her education.

As one of the most prodigious students of her school, she went on to place the state-wide third rank in her tenth grade final examinations. During this period, her intensive routine included gym and study sessions all morning and then traveled for 12kms to train under her coach, Nitin Vernekar, who worked with the Sports Authority of Goa and was formerly a player himself. Shikha was the only girl training at the all-boys institute, and the experience and skill that it lent her followed her through the years.

After this period, she took a hiatus of three years from the world of sport in which she focused all her attention on her academics. She pursued a degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from the Goa College of Engineering. During her second year as an undergraduate student, she made a return to cricket, determined to excel at it. She declined multiple placement offers from Multinational Companies to pursue her passion. The years that followed would etch out Shika’s name onto the Cricket hall of fame.

She played against England and West Indies in Board President’s XI in 2010 and 2011. She went on to be selected in India’s Bangaladesh tour team. She played in the 2014 ICC Women’s World Twenty20, and she was part of the Indian team, which reached the finals of the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2017 against England. Shikha is also part of Australia’s 2020 T20 World Cup. She was the first Goan player after Dilip Sardesai to play for a national team and take part in T20s and ODIs. She was the crux to India’s win against South Africa in 2014. Shikha joined the Indian Air Force in 2011 as an air traffic controller. She continues to inspire millions through her skills on and off the field.