“Knowing that I have someone like Belinda Clarke on my back gives me a lot of confidence now.”
Indian all-rounder Shikha Pandey credits former Australia captain Belinda Clarke for making her feel ‘worthy’ and ‘special’ during her time away from the national team. I’m here.
In September 2022, Clarke arranged for Pandey to spend her three weeks in Brisbane, where she played cricket for her club. This period paved the way for her first Women’s Big Bash contract with the Brisbane Heat, but Pandey had to turn it down due to commitments at state team Gore.
Now, four months after his memorable stay in Australia, Pandey’s immediate future looks much brighter. She will make her comeback 15 months after being included in the Indian squad for her T20I try her series in South Africa and her T20 World Cup next month. “The only thing I liked about Belinda was that it was less sympathy and more empathy,” Pandey told Scroll.in. “She listened to me and worked with me to set a range of goals, not only in cricket, but outside the game.
“We worked on our leadership skills, we talked about different podcasts, we worked on how being on the state side could make a difference. She made me feel like I was worth it. even special ones.”
Pandey highlighted a major shift in her mindset as one of the key lessons she learned from Clark’s mentor. While not on the national team, she helped develop a “team spirit” by fostering a “more inclusive culture” within the teams she competed in.
“Her sessions helped a lot in making changes in her team environment. We introduced a team mentality, began to believe more in positive reinforcement, understood the importance of creating a psychologically safe environment where players felt valued, celebrated our differences, and became more inclusive. I started trying to create a culture of
“In one of the early sessions, Belinda talked about how the situations we face don’t define us, but what we do in response to those situations and what we do to get out of them. I remember saying something about the choices we make define us.I realized that there was so much more to offer the game and giving up wasn’t an option.
Pandey believes these conversations have helped her come to terms with her own vulnerabilities and accept her struggles.
“She told me it was okay to be different,” Pandey explained.
“But she explained that we should be willing to experiment, and we need to understand that we’re going to be vulnerable, and that’s okay. It’s okay to fail in the pursuit of excellence. It’s a way to grow, we have to learn to admit our mistakes, and these conversations have opened up a lot for me.
“She’s very confident now knowing that someone like Belinda Clarke has her back. I kept in touch with her all the time and after I got picked I sent her a message and talked to her the next day. I just wanted to say thank you for giving me so much confidence in myself.
“When things like losing an election happen, I start questioning myself and my abilities and sometimes I become my own enemy. Things have helped me more than I can say.”