Shikha Pandey

{{Infobox cricketer

| honorific_prefix = Squadron Leader

| name = Shikha Pandey

| female = true

| image = Shikha Pandey (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Pandey in 2017

| country = India

| international = true

| internationalspan = 2014{{endash}}2023

| fullname = Shikha Subas Pandey

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|5|12|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Ramagundam, Andhra Pradesh, India (present-day Telangana, India)

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nickname = Shikhipedia

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm medium

| role = All-rounder

| testdebutdate = 13 August

| testdebutyear = 2014

| testdebutagainst = England

| testcap = 78

| lasttestdate = 16 June

| lasttestyear = 2021

| lasttestagainst = England

| odidebutdate = 21 August

| odidebutyear = 2014

| odidebutagainst = England

| odicap = 112

| lastodidate = 3 July

| lastodiyear = 2021

| lastodiagainst = England

| odishirt = 12

| T20Idebutdate = 9 March

| T20Idebutyear = 2014

| T20Idebutagainst = Bangladesh

| T20Icap = 48

| lastT20Idate = 23 February

| lastT20Iyear = 2023

| lastT20Iagainst = Australia

| T20Ishirt = 12

| club1 = Goa

| year1 = 2007/08–present

| club2 = Velocity

| year2 = 2019–2020

| club3 = Delhi Capitals

| year3 = 2023–present

| club4 = Trinbago Knight Riders

| year4 = 2024

| club5 = Brisbane Heat

| year5 = 2024/25

| club6 = Canterbury Magicians

| year6 = 2024/25

| columns = 3

| column1 = WTest

| matches1 = 3

| runs1 = 55

| bat avg1 = 18.33

| 100s/50s1 = 0/0

| top score1 = 28*

| deliveries1 = 249

| wickets1 = 4

| bowl avg1 = 35.25

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 2/33

| catches/stumpings1 = 1/–

| column2 = WODI

| matches2 = 55

| runs2 = 512

| bat avg2 = 20.48

| 100s/50s2 = 0/2

| top score2 = 59

| deliveries2 = 2,472

| wickets2 = 75

| bowl avg2 = 21.92

| fivefor2 = 0

| tenfor2 = 0

| best bowling2 = 4/18

| catches/stumpings2 = 11/-

| column3 = WT20I

| matches3 = 56

| runs3 = 207

| bat avg3 = 12.93

| 100s/50s3 = 0/0

| top score3 = 26*

| deliveries3 = 938

| wickets3 = 40

| bowl avg3 = 25.32

| fivefor3 = 0

| tenfor3 = 0

| best bowling3 = 3/14

| catches/stumpings3 = 18/-

| date = 23 February 2023

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/player/442145.html ESPNcricinfo

| module = {{Infobox military person

| embed = yes

| allegiance = {{IND}}

| branch = {{air force|India}}

| serviceyears = 2011–present

| rank = Squadron Leader

| servicenumber =

| unit =

| commands =

| battles_label =

| battles =

| awards =

}}

Squadron Leader Shikha Pandey (born 12 May 1989) is an Indian cricketer{{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/player/442145.html |title=Shikha Pandey |accessdate=5 July 2017|publisher=ESPNcricinfo}} and former officer in the Indian Air Force.{{cite web |last1=Junaid |first1=Abdul |title=Fl Lt Shikha Pandey: The Unsung Officer of Indian Women Cricket Team |url=https://www.ssbcrack.com/2016/12/shikha-pandey-officer-women-cricket-team.html |website=SSBCrack |accessdate=20 July 2020 |date=December 2016}}{{cite web |last1=Gaur |first1=Akshat |title=From being an Air Force officer to Indian's frontline bowler, Shikha Pandey reveals her journey |url=https://crickettimes.com/2020/02/from-being-an-air-force-officer-to-indians-frontline-bowler-shikha-pandey-reveals-her-journey/ |website=The Cricket Times |accessdate=20 July 2020 |date=26 February 2020}}{{cite news |author1=Staff writer |title=IAF felicitates Shikha Pandey for stellar performance in Women's T20 World Cup |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/icc-womens-t20-world-cup/iaf-felicitates-shikha-pandey-for-stellar-performance-in-womens-t20-world-cup/articleshow/74629009.cms |access-date=13 June 2021 |work=The Times of India |agency=ANI |date=14 March 2020}} She plays for the national cricket team as a right-arm medium pacer and middle-order batter, and was an IAF air traffic control officer.

Pandey made her international Twenty20 (T20I) debut on 9 March 2014 against Bangladesh at Cox's Bazar cricket stadium in Bangladesh.{{cite news|title=India recall Latika Kumari, Sravanthi Naidu for Women's WT20|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/women/content/story/721183.html|accessdate=27 November 2014|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|date=21 February 2014}}{{cite news|title=गोव्याची शिखा पांडे भारतीय क्रिकेट संघात|url=http://www.tarunbharat.com/?p=39089|language=Marathi|accessdate=27 November 2014|publisher=Tarun Bharat|date=21 February 2014}} In August of the same year, she made her One Day International (ODI) and Test debuts against England at Wormsley and Scarborough, respectively.

Early life

Pandey did her schooling under the Central Board of Secondary Education, India. At the age of 15, she became the first player affiliated with state board to represent India.{{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/20394703/hard-working-shikha-pandey-lives-dream|title=Hard-working Shikha Pandey lives her dream|date=20 August 2017|work=ESPNcricinfo|language=en|access-date=15 December 2018}} Within months of this affiliation and getting introduced into the formal set-up, Surekha Bhandare, former Mumbai player and selector, saw her playing and believed that Pandey had all the markings of a future India player. "The raw talent in her was hard to go unnotice [sic]," Bhandare was quoted as stating. In the class-ten board (secondary school) exams, she won the state-wide third rank. It was then that she decided to focus more on studies and cricket took a back seat for the next three years. It was not before her second year as an undergraduate in Electronics and Electrical Engineering that she began pursuing the sport with serious intent.

Academics has always been important to Pandey and had to juggle cricket and college, where she would spend her morning doing gym sessions and academic work, and her afternoons would include a 12 km journey to Mapusa so she could train under Nitin Vernekar, former Goa cricketer and Sports Authority of Goa coach. This phase was very crucial to her growth as a cricketer as being the only girl at the boy's facility facing U-16 and U-19 boys honed her reaction time against pace bowling.

However, she did not let her focus on game affect her academic performance. She particularly credits Ujwala Phadte, her lecturer in Applied Mathematics for helping her throughout this phase and making sure her grades were not inversely proportional to her on-field performance.

After completing her engineering degree from Goa College of Engineering in 2010, three multinational companies offered her opportunities, but she declined all these placement offers and decided to take a year off and focus on her cricketing career completely. In July 2011, she joined Indian Air Force, and in June 2012 was commissioned as an air traffic controller.{{cite web|title=Shikha, and engineering cricket dreams|url=http://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2014/features-and-specials/79795/shikha-and-engineering-cricket-dreams|publisher=International Cricket Council|accessdate=27 November 2014|archive-date=5 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205110259/http://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2014/features-and-specials/79795/shikha-and-engineering-cricket-dreams|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thelallantop.com/videos/indian-women-cricketer-shikha-pandey-talking-about-her-experience-and-dream-of-playing-cricket-for-national-side-in-lallantop-show-lucknow/|title=Shikha Pandey LT interview October 2017 Lucknow Show|work=LT Media|accessdate=21 December 2017}} At the time of the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, she held the rank of Squadron Leader.

Cricket career

At the age of 15, Pandey was selected to play for Goa in 2004. Later at the age of 17 for the 2007–08 domestic season, she was selected to play for Goa's Women Senior State Side.{{cite web|title=Panday Selected For Goa State|url=https://icccricketworldcup2019.net/ipl-2020-live-streaming-channels-live-broadcast/|publisher=ICC Cricket|accessdate=4 April 2015|date=16 March 2010|archive-date=8 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808141135/https://icccricketworldcup2019.net/ipl-2020-live-streaming-channels-live-broadcast/|url-status=dead}} In the inter-state two-day tournament, Rani Jhansi Trophy, she picked up a four-wicket haul. This was also her Goa senior women's debut. Thirushi Kamini, then already an Indian international, was her first wicket which was a caught-and-bowled. What fast-tracked her selection into the zonal squad the same season was her scoring three half-centuries for the Goa Under-19 side.

In her year off from her engineering course and Pandey played in Board President's XI against the visiting England and West Indies teams in 2010 and January 2011 respectively and also took her first "international wicket, albeit unofficial," Charlotte Edwards in the 2010 tour game. She continued to play for Goa and after 2013–14 season of Inter-State T20 tournament (Plate group) she was selected for India's tour of Bangladesh consisting 3 friendly matches with Bangladesh and 2014 ICC Women's World Twenty20.{{cite news|title=Goa's Shikha Pandey makes India cut|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/women-cricket/news/Goas-Shikha-Pandey-makes-India-cut/articleshow/30811247.cms|accessdate=27 November 2014|work=The Times of India|publisher=The Times Group|date=22 February 2014}}

File:2020 ICC W T20 WC I v B 02-24 Pandey (04).jpg|alt=Devine batting for New Zealand during the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup]]

After Dilip Sardesai, Pandey is the first player from Goa to play for any Indian national team. She is also the first Goa Cricket Association affiliated cricketer to play international level cricket for India.{{cite news|title=शिखा बनली गोव्याची पहिली महिला कसोटीपटू|language=Marathi|url=http://www.esakal.com/esakal/20140814/4877855508217562029.htm|accessdate=12 December 2014|publisher=eskal.com|date=14 August 2014|archive-date=17 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217021512/http://www.esakal.com/esakal/20140814/4877855508217562029.htm|url-status=dead}} After the T20 World Cup, she played one-off Test match and 2 ODI matches against England.{{cite web|title=All round record – Shikha Pandey ODI|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/442145.html?class=9;template=results;type=allround;view=match|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|accessdate=28 November 2014}}{{cite web|title=All round record- Shikha Pandey Test cricket|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/442145.html?class=8;template=results;type=allround;view=match|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|accessdate=28 November 2014}} She was instrumental in India's win against South Africa on 26 November 2014. She took 3 wickets and scored 59 runs.{{cite news|title=Shikha Pandey helps India level series against South Africa|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/sports-news/cricketnews/shikha-pandey-helps-india-level-series-against-south-africa/article1-1290536.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127045612/http://www.hindustantimes.com/sports-news/cricketnews/shikha-pandey-helps-india-level-series-against-south-africa/article1-1290536.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 November 2014|accessdate=28 November 2014|work=Hindustan Times|publisher=HT Media|date=27 November 2014}}

Pandey was part of the Indian team to reach the final of the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup where the team lost to England by nine runs.[http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8584/commentary/1085975/England-Women-vs-India-Women-Final-ICC-Women's-World-Cup-2017 Live commentary: Final, ICC Women's World Cup at London, Jul 23], ESPNcricinfo, 23 July 2017.[https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/cricket/40035680 World Cup Final], BBC Sport, 23 July 2017.[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2017/jul/23/england-v-india-womens-world-cup-final-live England v India: Women's World Cup final – live!], The Guardian, 23 July 2017. In January 2020, she was named in India's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28468147/kaur-mandhana-verma-part-full-strength-india-squad-t20-world-cup |title=Kaur, Mandhana, Verma part of full strength India squad for T20 World Cup |work=ESPNcricinfo |accessdate=12 January 2020}} In May 2021, she was named in India's Test squad for their one-off match against the England women's cricket team.{{cite web|url=https://www.bcci.tv/articles/2021/news/154389/india-s-senior-women-squad-for-the-only-test-match-odi-t20i-series-against-england-announced |title=India's Senior Women squad for the only Test match, ODI & T20I series against England announced |work=Board of Control for Cricket in India |access-date=14 May 2021}}

Personal life

File:The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa felicitating Flt. Lt. Shikha Pandey, a member of Indian Women’s Cricket team in the recently concluded ICC Women’s World Cup, in New Delhi on August 01, 2017.jpg

Pandey's nickname is "Shikhipedia", an allusion to her self-confessed status as a "cricket geek".{{cite web |last1=Upendran |first1=Ananya |title=With more in her armoury, Shikha Pandey aims to build on the success of 2019-20 |url=https://www.womenscriczone.com/with-more-in-her-armoury-shikha-pandey-aims-to-build-on-the-success-of-2019-20 |website=Women’s CricZone |access-date=4 June 2021 |date=31 October 2020}}