Shikha Pandey reveals how Belinda Clarke helped her through tough times

Shikha Pandey recently hogged the limelight after a long hiatus as she made the cut for the national team. However, the turnaround for the Indian bowler took quite a good deal of time and some unprecedented inspiration from former Australian captain, Belinda Clark.

Not only did Belinda get Shikha back in the hunt but had it not been for her contractual obligations with Goa, she would have been a part of the WBBL playing for Brisbane Heat. In September 2022, when Shikha was away from international cricket, Belinda facilitated a three-week club cricket stint for Shikha Pandey and she impressed heavily during her stay in Brisbane.

After a phenomenal run in Australia, Shikha opened up on how Belinda made her feel special despite being away from the international arcade. Talking to Scroll.In, Shikha said, “The one thing that I like about Belinda is that there was less sympathy and more empathy. She listened to my story and then worked with me to set different goals - not just cricket related, but outside the game as well.”

She further added, “We worked on my leadership traits, we discussed different podcasts, we worked on how I could make a difference by being in the state side and she made me feel worthy; special, even.”

Talking about a change in mindset that followed post her stint in Australia, Shikha said, “The sessions that I had with her helped me immensely to bring in changes in my team environment. We brought in the squad mentality, started believing more in positive reinforcement, we understood the importance of creating a psychologically safe environment in which players feel valued, and we also started to celebrate our differences and tried to create a more inclusive culture.”

She concluded on a powerful discussion between Belinda and her where the former highlighted how the odds should be braved, adding, “I remember in one of the early sessions, Belinda said something on the lines of how the situations we are facing don't define us, but what we choose to do in reply to those situations and the decisions that we take to come out of those situations, define us. She kind of made me realise that I had so much more to offer to the game and giving up was not an option."