It might have been a little more ideal if Mandhana had been at the opposite end of the field as Bhatia celebrated becoming the first woman on the Lord’s Test honors board, but after what they’ve both been through, they’ll take the highs, whatever they may be.
Bhatia arrived in England in May and quickly scored a maiden T20I fifty in her first international match in more than 18 months after she damaged the cruciate ligament in her left knee during a training camp and underwent surgery in October last year. This ruled her out of India’s home ODI and WPL World Cup triumphs this year.
After a disappointing T20 World Cup in which she managed only 41 runs in three innings as India were knocked out of the group stage just before this Test, Bhatia bounced back beautifully on Sunday. Her 113, including 73 for the second wicket with Mandhana, helped India lead England by 456 runs. Unfortunately, the hosts were six wickets behind and suffered a heavy defeat with 327 runs still required on the fourth and final day.
Mandhana reached 70, her second half-century in the match, but was eliminated early on the third day after adding just one to her overnight score. So she had to watch from afar as Bhatia shared a celebratory hug with Deepti Sharma in the center.
“It’s incredible because six months ago I was in a very different place and if you told me my name would be on the honors board, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Bhatia told reporters at Lord’s on Sunday night. “But it’s just baby steps to get to this place and I’ve worked really hard and my family have supported me from the start, so it all really paid off today. It’s a really great feeling.”
Mandhana tore her cruciate ligament while playing in the WBBL in early January 2017 and required surgery, returning for the World Cup when India finished runners-up to England at Lord’s in July that year. So she could identify with what Bhatia describes as having to “start from scratch” by building up the muscle mass around the knee again.
“I was talking to her and she just looked at me and said this will be a turning point in your career,” Bhatia said. “She said that because of injuries or failures, more serious failures, she also faced.
Yastika Bhatia showed her class•Pennsylvania Photo/Getty Images
“She told me, ‘After that injury I learned so much about everything, little, little things in rehab in cricket, so it has completely changed me, so I think it will be the same for you and your whole mindset will change, your game will go to another level, I can feel it for you,’ she told me.
“I was a little nervous about how things would go, but she said, ‘Keep working hard, you’re a sincere kid, you’re a good person, just keep working hard and one day your time will come.’ She gave me these encouraging words and then helped me.”
Bhatia took over wicketkeeping duties from Richie Ghosh for this Test, another return to her recovery from injury given that it was the first skill she was able to practice again after surgery.
“I only took catches without even batting, first I kept the ball so I was very happy, that day I was like a little kid smiling all day which I kept after four months,” Bhatia recalls. “Those moments are priceless and it made me feel the love for the game again.
“That should always remain for all players, no matter what setbacks you have, no matter how deep that failure is, the love of the game, the belief in yourself is very, very important to get out of that rock bottom and just rise up.”
She should rise to the top of what a Lord’s batter can achieve, even on her first try. Having played her part in India’s victory after the penultimate day of the first women’s Test match ever played at the famous stadium, Bhatia can say that she also helped her team rise to the top. And perhaps she inspired someone else, just as Mandhana helped inspire her when she needed it most.
“I always believe that we are in a good position to inspire young girls and boys, so it is also a responsibility to perform well and conduct ourselves well on and off the field,” Bhatia said.
Valkerie Bains is the editor-in-chief of Cricinfo, a women’s cricket magazine.