Shikha Pandey gives credit to Belinda Clark for iconic comeback 

Shikha Pandey's poster during her time away from the national squad [Source: Twitter]

Shikha Pandey has comeback to the spotlight after a long time of not featuring in the Indian colours. Pandey had been dropped in 2021 and had since been working in silence. During her time away from the Indian team, Pandey claimed that the former Australian captain Belinda Clark made her feel "worthy" and "special". 

In September of 2022, Clark had set up a three-week training stint for Pandey in Brisbane, where the pacer played club cricket. The training almost resulted in the 33-year old's maiden deal with the Women's Big Bash League franchise Brisbane Heat. But the pacer turned it down owing to her prior commitments to her state team, Goa. 

Shikha is all set to make a comeback after 15 months of not featuring in the Indian squad. She has now been included in the squad for the Women's T20 World Cup 2023. 

Shikha Pandey credits Belinda Clark for comeback

"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." 

"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."

"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."

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