Women's T20 World Cup 2023: India inspired by U19s win, says Shikha Pandey

Shikha Pandey became the archetypal Indian pistillate cricketer to people a half-century and instrumentality 3 wickets successful the aforesaid lucifer successful 2014

India's Women's Under-19 World Cup occurrence has inspired the elder broadside heading into their ain T20 World Cup, says all-rounder Shikha Pandey.

"The full squad were an inspiration backmost home," said Pandey, earlier India's opening crippled against Pakistan.

"We each said that if they person done it, we request to bash it for the state arsenic well."

Pandey, 33, who has lone precocious returned to the India team, added: "After the 2017 Women's World Cup wherever we mislaid to England successful the final, a batch of radical said that was the watershed moment.

"But I deliberation the World Cup coming to India is. For a young kid excessively spot that it motivates them.

"It is conscionable the opening of thing truly spectacular for cricket successful India, having women who are 15-years-old connected a winning World Cup broadside shows wherever the athletics is going."

Pandey, has precocious hopes for India going into the elder team's ain World Cup, which is being hosted by South Africa.

"I deliberation we are bully contenders," she said. "I'm truly excited to play alongside apical planetary cricketers astir the satellite and learning however they prepare.

"I deliberation we person a truly bully accidental of winning the World Cup."

'Verma tin assistance the crippled grow'

India volition beryllium hoping for tons of runs from teenage opener Shafali Verma during the World Cup

Captaining the winning broadside was 19-year-old all-rounder Shafali Verma, India's youngest ever Twenty20 planetary player.

Verma has besides been named successful the squad for the World Cup alongside U19 team-mate Richa Ghosh.

"I privation I was similar Shafali Verma sometimes due to the fact that she doesn't transportation immoderate baggage with her and she is idiosyncratic who is truly assured astir her abilities," said Pandey.

"She is simply a precise jolly quality and is each astir enjoying the moment. Characters similar Shafali tin lone assistance the crippled turn backmost home."

'I was heartbroken'

Pandey made her T20 planetary debut successful 2014 against Bangladesh and successful August of the aforesaid year, she made her one-day planetary and Test cricket debuts, some against England.

She is present acceptable to marque a comeback aft 15 months retired and is acceptable for redemption aft being near retired of India's World Cup squad past year.

"At immoderate level you play cricket your eventual extremity is to play for your state and to triumph the World Cup truthful I'm hoping we spell 1 measurement further this clip and triumph it," she said.

"It feels truly bully to beryllium backmost successful the side, I've worked truly hard for the past twelvemonth and I've had to bash the hard enactment to scope wherever I have.

"I was heartbroken precise honestly, I americium quality astatine the extremity of the day. I've ever been taught arsenic a kid that dreams don't crook to particulate and hard enactment ne'er goes to discarded truthful I conscionable kept moving hard and I knew that I had a batch of cricket near successful me."

And finally... that delivery!

During India's circuit of Australia successful 2021, seamer Pandey dismissed Alyssa Healy with what immoderate commentators dubbed "he shot of the century", aft it seamed backmost successful sharply to vessel the Australia batter aft pitching extracurricular disconnected stump.

Reminiscing astir the wicket, Pandey described it arsenic an "inswinger's imagination delivery".

"It was peculiar to get her retired due to the fact that Healy is the benignant of subordinate that tin instrumentality the crippled distant from you successful a span of 4 oregon 5 overs," recalled Pandey.

"I'm truly blessed that the shot came done and erstwhile I'm nary longer playing cricket, it'll beryllium remembered."