Meet Shikha Pandey, IAF officer-turned-cricketer, CBSE topper rejected 3 high-paying jobs to…

Right-arm pacer and middle-order batter Shikha Pandey has a unique story when it comes to the journey of cricketers. A former Indian Air Force officer, Pandey was a rising star in her teens but decided to focus on studies instead of turning into a professional cricketer. He earned an engineering degree and became a Squadron Leader in the Air Force before deciding to get back to the game. Here’s her inspiring story.

Born in a small town in Telangana, Shikha excelled in studies. In class 10, she was among the state-wide toppers in CBSE board exams. She was the first player to represent the state affiliated with the board at 15. After acing boards, she took the decision to focus on studies. Cricket was put on the backburner.

She returned to serious cricket during her engineering from the Goa College of Engineering. She would juggle studies in the day and cricket training in the evening. Shikha was offered high-paying job offers from three multinational companies (MNCs) after college. However, she rejected entry into the corporate world and instead focused on the game for the next year.

Shikha joined the Indian Air Force in 2011 and was commissioned as an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) in 2012. However, her true passion was cricket and she turned back to the field. In 2014, she became the first Goa player to represent India in cricket since Dilip Sardesai. She made her T20, ODI and Test debuts in the same year. When she represented India at the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Shikha Pandey held the rank of Squadron Leader in the IAF. Pandey is a “cricket geek” nicknamed “Shikhipedia” for her knowledge.