Glasgow student helps Scottish women prepare for World Cup glory

“I grew up in India, my grandfather and father played cricket, my brother plays professionally and we eat, sleep and breathe the sport,” she says, smiling. “Dinner conversations in our house have been about cricket for as long as I can remember.

“So they are all delighted I’m here. My grandfather, especially, is very happy.”

Sanika and her grandfather Arvind (Image: Sanika Divekar)

The 26-year-old, who lives in Cowcaddens, is in South Africa helping the Scotland Women’s Under 19 squad mentally prepare for the biggest test of their sporting careers.

Sanika, who is in the third year of her doctorate at Glasgow Caledonian University, is helping the players deal with the pressures of being the first Scottish female team ever, senior or junior, to make it to a cricket World Cup.

Sanika Divekar (Image: Glasgow Caledonian University)

On Saturday, in the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Johannesburg, they have their first Group D match against UAE, followed by South Africa on January 16 and India on January 18.

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“I’m really excited to be part of the squad, it’s been a dream of mine for many years,” says Sanika, who is in her final year of a Sport and Exercise Psychology Professional Doctorate. She secured a placement with Cricket Scotland in 2020.

Sanika, left, with the squad in South Africa (Image: Cricket Scotland)

“You have to remember these girls are really young and for most of them it’s the first time they are going to be participating at an international level so it can be quite daunting.”

As a former elite athlete, Sanika can relate – she was a national table tennis champion in India, competing at the highest level of the sport for 12 years.

Sanika was an Indian national table tennis champion. (Image: Sanika Divekar)

“I loved it, but I became interested in psychology, and really wanted to study it,” she explains, adding with a laugh: “So this is my second innings.

“In India, the culture is still slow to accept discussions of mental health – choosing to study psychology is still an unconventional career option. Scotland is much more progressive. The bold conversations do take place here.”

Sanika is hoping the significant achievement of Scotland’s U19 women getting to a World Cup will help boost cricket’s popularity in Scotland.

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“There are so many role models in this team, it’s fantastic,” she says. “I’m thrilled to be part of the squad.

“It’s been a bit of a revelation for me, in fact. Mental health in sport is such an important conversation to have – to become an elite, high-performing athlete, you have to be a mentally healthy and strong human being first.”

Dr Bryan McCann, senior lecturer in psychology who oversees placements on Sanika’s course, said: “We have a very strong partnership with Cricket Scotland which has seen trainees support a number of the national squads.

“It is clear that Cricket Scotland values the role that sport and exercise psychologists can play within a multidisciplinary team, as Sanika’s inclusion as a key member of the Cricket Scotland team supporting the U19s T20 World Cup squad shows.

“Sanika is the latest of our trainees to get the chance to travel internationally as part of their placement, and we are delighted she will gain this invaluable experience to apply her skills and knowledge at an international level. We are incredibly proud of Sanika and our other trainees for the outstanding support they provide clients and organisations as part of their placements.”