Shikha Pandey

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shikha Pandey

• Does Shikha Pandey smoke: Not Known

• Does Shikha Pandey drink alcohol: Not Known

• She was just five when her father had brought her a cricket bat. Her father did not even have the slightest of an idea that his daughter, who played with the boys at such young age, would one day be wearing that blue jersey for real.

• She recalls how her father used to listen to the cricket commentary on his transistor and narrate her everything while strolling. This struck her mind to be a professional cricket.

• At just 15 years of age, she played for Goa and became the first ever Indian (male or female) to represent the state.

• Shikha was academically bright and had scored more than 90% marks in both her matriculation and secondary board exams. Though Shikha was inclined towards cricket, she took up engineering upon his father’s recommendation.

• Upon completion of her bachelor’s, she decided not to join any MNC and drop a year out to play cricket. In between that time, her father asked her to appear for the Indian Air Force exam which she cleared with merit. She then became an Air Traffic Controller at the Indian Air Force, which took a leap in her life. Air Force Sports Control Board asked her to play in a friendly match.

• On 9 October 2021, during the second T20I against Australia former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer termed the delivery from Shikha Pandey that dismissed Australia batter Alyssa Healy as the ball of the century in women’s cricket. Soon, Pandey’s ‘ball of the century’ went viral on social media.