Yastika Bhatia Makes History at Lord's! First Woman to Score a Test Century 🏏
Yastika Bhatia Makes History at Lord's! First Woman to Score a Test Century 🏏
Witness history! Yastika Bhatia smashes a brilliant century at Lord's, becoming the first woman to achieve this feat after a remarkable injury comeback. An inspiring story of resilience and triumph!
India's wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia has etched her name into cricket history, becoming the first woman to score a Test century at the iconic Lord's stadium. Her magnificent 113 runs off 158 balls played a pivotal role in India declaring their second innings, setting a daunting 457-run target for England on day three of the Test match. This incredible achievement marks a triumphant return for Bhatia, who battled back from a career-threatening knee injury just last year.
The 24-year-old batter expressed her disbelief and joy after the historic knock. "It's unbelievable," Bhatia stated, reflecting on her journey. "Six months ago I was in a very different place and if you would have told me that I would have my name in the honours board I wouldn't have believed it." She sustained a torn ACL in her left knee in October last year, an injury that required surgery and kept her out of India's ODI World Cup-winning campaign. Her determination to return to the field, and then to achieve such a milestone, is truly inspiring.
Bhatia remains focused on the future, firmly believing that "the best is yet to come." She added, "But so far it's really good and I enjoyed my time in the middle. It's just the beginning, a lot more to come and I am looking forward to that." Her resilience and positive outlook were key during her recovery period, which involved starting from scratch after the surgery, losing muscle in her leg, and undergoing intensive rehabilitation.
She humbly credited her strong support system for her remarkable comeback. "A lot of people have been working behind the scenes," she shared, acknowledging her family, her father, mother, and sister, as her biggest backbone. She also extended her gratitude to her coaches, trainers back home, the support staff, and teammates. The BCCI's Centre of Excellence (COE), where she underwent her rehabilitation, also played a crucial role in her journey back to peak performance. Her love for the game, she noted, kept her in a positive frame of mind throughout the challenging recovery process.
