Doctorate helps take Scotland to the Cricket World Cup
A Glasgow Caledonian University Doctorate student has moved away from a career in professional table tennis to play a key role in supporting Scotland’s rising cricket stars.
Sanika Divekar grew up in a cricket-obsessed household in India, but found her hand-eye co-ordination was of better use elsewhere.
She said: “My grandfather, father and brother have all been involved in playing cricket, but despite enjoying it as a spectator, I never really played it.
“My family’s passion and interest in sport was definitely passed down to me, though, and I actually ended up playing table tennis at national level for 12 years.
“From the age of 10, I was travelling across India to compete in different matches and it was a huge part of my life. I wanted to continue playing table tennis but I also knew that I had to look towards my future career.”
Sanika opted for psychology due to her inquisitive nature and the fact it would initially allow her to continue playing the sport she loved.
She explained “I was 20 years old when I decided to take up psychology. I’ve always been that person who had an early incline about how the mind works and that probably had an impact on why I was winning and losing games. I also think my coach was probably getting fed up with all my questions!
“The final year of my degree in India was actually very demanding with lots of labs and assignments, so that’s when I stepped back from table tennis because I’d done everything I wanted to do.”
After graduating, Sanika travelled to London in 2017 to complete a Masters, but her journey in higher education was far from over.
Sanika said: “When I finished my Masters, I actually went back to India but sports psychology is still in its early stages there as a very up-and-coming field.
“I always had in my mind that I wanted to do a PHD at some point and Glasgow Caledonian University was a very clear choice in helping me achieve that dream of working as a professional psychologist. My research interests matched with professors Dr Paul McCarthy and Dr Bryan McCann. I had a couple of chats with them and explained how I saw Glasgow as my next step.”
Having made the decision to apply for the DPsych in Sport and Exercise Psychology in 2019, there wasn’t much that was going to stop Sanika achieving her dream. However, a global pandemic had definitely not been in the original equation.
Sanika explained: “I began to have doubts in early 2020 - the whole world went crazy! I really wasn’t sure about online learning, and if it would actually be possible to complete a Doctorate while I was back in India.
“Thankfully, all the lecturers were fantastic with me and offered me so much support. Throughout year one, everything was online but I managed to get through it. Part of year two was also online but the world gradually began to open up again and I made it to Scotland in February 2022.”
Despite the difficult decision to leave her family in India, Sanika was able to continue indulging in a certain home comfort.
She explained: “There’s a huge part of the programme where you have to complete clinical practice. When I was looking for a placement at the start of the Doctorate, I was just thinking that it would be perfect if I was able to work in cricket because of my family connection.
“I explained to my supervisors how I come from a country that literally lives and breathes cricket! The Indian men’s and women’s team are a part of who we are – everyone is super proud of them.
“I always liked the idea of working in a team sport. I played an individual one and felt like I was a warrior working on my own, so I was interested to see how it would work in a different environment.”
Luckily for Sanika, Glasgow Caledonian University had the perfect solution for her.
She said: “There been a long-standing collaboration in place. A lot of sport psychologists at Glasgow Caledonian University have worked on placement with Cricket Scotland. It all came about so organically and was the perfect fit for me.
"I was the first sport psychologist to work with the women’s cricket team. I teamed up with the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 teams in March 2021 as part of my placement. This continued into stage 2, and that was when the opportunity with the Under-19 World Cup started materialising.”
Like many major sporting events, the inaugral ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup had originally fallen victim to the pandemic. However, cricket’s loss was most certainly Sanika’s gain.
She explained: “To be honest, it all worked out perfectly for me. Having that opportunity to create a relationship with them since 2021 was so important for what was to come.
"The team had a three-series qualifier with the Netherlands in September last year, and that was when we confirmed our place at the World Cup. I didn’t travel to the Netherlands but I was working closely with the girls and offering one-to-one support."
Sanika was aware she had a chance of going to the World Cup, but nothing could prepare her for when the dream finally became a reality.
She said: “The opportunity to be on that global stage was just incredible. It was actually quite over-whelming to travel to South Africa for four weeks and be part of history at the first ever World Cup for that age group.”
Sports psychology has been recognised for more than a century ago, with Norman Triplett’s first analysing the behaviour of cyclists in a racing environment back in 1898.
Fast-forward 125 years and the profession looks somewhat different.
“Our role is basically to work with athletes and people who engage with physical activity to help encourage others to get involved. This helps us explore the link between mental health and physical health.
“My role with Cricket Scotland was predominately to support the girls in terms of their sporting performances, while also ensuring their wellbeing. I also worked on bringing the team closer together, specifically focusing on group dynamics and communication. I held a lot of workshops during the pre-World Cup training sessions where I worked with the captain and vice-captain to help them lead the team.
“When we eventually went to the World Cup, the focus was more on making sure the girls were mentally stable. It was actually the first time a lot of them had been away from home, so I was very conscious of that and tried to make sure they were comfortable in their new surroundings. We also went from -5 to 30 degree heat, which was a big challenge. It was also very interesting to see them go to the likes of media days and deal with interviews.”
Scotland were drawn into Group D alongside the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and, in a bizarre twist of fate for Sanika, India.
She said: “I can definitely say I didn’t have any split allegiances! We actually stayed in the same hotel as the Indian team, but I was desperate to beat them.”
Unfortunately, Sanika didn’t get her wish. Despite a number of strong performances, Scotland eventually finished bottom of the group, but did manage to end the tournament on a high with a final place victory over the USA.
Sanika said: “The biggest thing I took away from it all was just seeing the girls be part of something so big. It was incredible to be part of the support staff and experience that process.”
With graduation only just around the corner, Sanika now feels like she is ready to embark on her career as a professional sports psychologist.
“Being at the World Cup will always be a massive milestone in my career. It’s given me a real perspective on the different cultures and personalities you can have within a team.
“I’ve obviously had previous experience as a high performance athlete, but I now know this is what I want to do and that I am made to be in a sporting environment.”
By Ross Clark
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