I hope our performances have inspired many young girls to play cricket​, says Shikha Pandey​

In this interview to DNA, India’s opening bowler Shikha Pandey tells G Krishnan the joy of playing her maiden World Cup. Excerpts:

Can you describe your maiden World Cup that culminated in the final at Lord’s?

It’s been a great learning experience. It was my first ODI World Cup and a great one. The journey has added a lot of moments to cherish. I don’t think many people thought we would get as far as we did, but as a team we believed. Every member of the squad who got a chance through the tournament put her hand up and contributed at different times. That’s how we reached the final. It was a real team effort. Playing at Lord’s was also a dream-come-true. The atmosphere of playing in a World Cup final in front of a packed house, I won’t ever forget.

How much did you enjoy bowling in the English conditions? Did you have to make adjustments?

Traditionally, when you think of England, one expects swing and bounce on the pitches. But they weren’t like that this time around. It was important to be very precise with the lengths and the pitches posed good challenge. For the fast bowlers, variation of pace was …read more