Can there be anything that’s regarded as high as serving one’s country? Definitely not! While men have actively carried out the duty of serving one’s country, women have fought their way out of stereotypes to do the same. They’ve cut loose the ties of patriarchy and misogyny that limit them and have risen above to and join the defence, navy, and military forces of our country to do their bit for their nation.
And just when you thought that a woman wearing the mighty blue uniform, serving in the defence forces of India, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is a sight to behold in one’s life, we have Shikha Pandey taking this feat of achievement and honor a level higher. If you’re asking us how, well, Flight Lieutenant Shikha Pandey of the IAF adorns not just one but two different kinds of blue uniforms in her life. Both these uniforms bring pride to the onlookers, the only difference between them is that she wears one while serving for the country and the other while playing for the country. Did you get the cues right yet?
Let us introduce you to Shikha Pandey, the only woman IAF officer in the history of our defence forces who plays for the Indian women’s cricket team. One look at her and you’ll realize how comfortable she feels while wearing both these uniforms. Quoting the inspiring woman herself, “Blessed to don both the blue uniform and jersey for the country.” Let’s have a look at the beautiful journey of her becoming this role model for all the girls in our country and get inspired ourselves.
Her Journey Wasn’t All Easy
shikhapandey12 / Instagram
Nothing came easy for this 28-year-old; she was very unassuming in nature. Her mother was a Hindi teacher in Kendriya Vidyalaya. She learned about the cricket world from her father who was a cricket buff. She would sit and watch every match with him. And this naturally translated to her playing gully-cricket with the boys in the neighborhood. When she was eight, her family and her relocated from Uttar Pradesh to Goa for work purposes and continued to live there.
During her school days, she exhibited great interest towards sports and became a very proficient sports person .She started to represent Goa in cricket tournaments in the junior category. She chose to undergo professional coaching only in her second year of college. When playing for the Goa cricket team, she was questioned by a selector of the Indian women’s cricket team about her seriousness towards the game. Shikha had scored three-half centuries in a tournament in Goa that got her this attention from the selector. She was just 19 back then.
Her Mantra: Education + Cricket
shikhapandey12 / Instagram
Her parents always gave her the freedom to choose cricket over her studies. But she couldn’t play deaf to the advice given by her father that one shouldn’t pursue one’s passion at the cost of one’s education. This advice always kept her focused in her studies and she was an exemplary student. She completed her engineering (electrical and electronics) in spite of her having taken a 12-month long break for participating in cricket tournaments.
She did not give up when she didn’t get selected as one of the probables for the Indian cricket team in her first attempt. She got back to her college, studied, trained and continued to play domestic cricket.
Her Decision To Join The Indian Air Force
indianairforce / Instagram
It was in her final year of college that she took two major decisions of her life. She turned down placement opportunities from three multinational companies saying that they wouldn’t allow her to play cricket.
She then made a decision to write the Air Force Common Admission Test. She cleared the selection process and completed her training as a cadet and got appointed as an officer. She says she chose IAF because she wanted to be a part of it. After her appointment, she approached the Air Force Sports Control Board and sought permission to play cricket for India if she gets selected. It was the first time that someone has come with such a request to the board. However, they were supportive and happily approved Shikha’s request.
Her Entry Into The Indian Women’s Cricket Team
shikhapandey12 / Instagram
In 2014, finally, all her efforts bore fruits and she got selected to play for India in the ODI series against Bangladesh. This was followed by another tournament that she played against Australia. There was no stopping for her after this. Her best so far is a record of 59 (not out) that she scored against South Africa in the year 2014. So far, Shikha has played 2 tests, 32 ODIs, and 22 T-20 cricket matches. The cherry on the cake was her participation in the ICC Women’s World Cup (WWC) in 2017. India finished the tournament as a runner up which left everybody feeling proud of our women in blue.
indian_womens_cricket_team_fc / Instagram
On returning to India, IAF rewarded Shikha by appointing her as the Chief of Air Staff commendation. Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa (Chief of Air Staff) did the honors.
iwomeninblue / Instagram
You’ll find this right-arm medium pacer, wearing the blue jersey numbered 12 and making India proud on and off the field. She urges people to recognize women players and give them the respect and recognition they deserve irrespective of whether they bought home a trophy or not. And she says, she’ll continue to contribute whatever she can for girls to take up sports as their career, in addition to carrying out her duties as an IAF officer. A big salute to women like Shikha and here’s hoping that many young girls out there pave their ways to their dreams just like how Shikha did in spite of all the odds
Banner Image Credits: pratikraina3/ Instagram
The post Fl Lt Shikha Pandey: The Unsung Officer Of Indian Women Cricket Team appeared first on STYLECRAZE.
0 Yorumlar