​Yastika Bhatia’s historic century at Lord’s on Sunday stands as a landmark for Indian women’s cricket, even as it also marked the end of a trying spell for her family. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter became the first Indian woman to reach a Test hundred at the “Home of Cricket,” finishing with 113 off 158 balls and hitting 14 fours on Day Three of the inaugural women’s Test against England.
Her father, Harish Bhatia, said the innings reflected months of painstaking effort after a knee injury sidelined Yastika from the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup and kept her out of cricket for around six months following ACL surgery in October. Speaking to TOI from Baroda, he recalled a moment from the Indian women’s team camp in Visakhapatnam last September that underscored the strong bond she shares with her teammates. “All her teammates were in tears when Yastika got injured. They didn’t even let her pack her bags; they took over that task for her. It was such a thoughtful gesture from them. Later, during her rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, they kept checking on her and sending messages like, ‘Get well soon Yastika. We are waiting for you.’ Today, I want to thank all her India teammates for their support during this period,” Harish Bhatia told TOI from Baroda.
Harish said the injury left Yastika momentarily despondent because she wanted to contribute to India’s World Cup campaign, but she quickly redirected her focus toward returning to international cricket. “Yastika was definitely down after the injury because she wanted India to win the ODI World Cup last year. Yet she also wanted India to win the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup and told me, ‘Papa, I will help India win the T20 World Cup.’ Unfortunately, that didn’t come to pass, but she has now delivered a superb century at Lord’s,” Harish added.
He credited former India wicketkeeper Kiran More, who has mentored Yastika for years, for guiding her through the recovery and onto the England tour. “Yastika prepared very hard for the tour, and credit goes to Kiran More, who has been like a father figure to her, guiding her at every step. He has always told her: ‘Yastika, you are my best student.’ During her injury, he kept encouraging her, saying, ‘This phase will be over. It’s just a matter of six months.’ Sir has trained her for hours on end in both wicketkeeping and batting. Yastika is a hard-working and extremely disciplined cricketer. I’ve never seen her miss a single training session. When we bought a new house in Kanali in Vadodara, she attended the ‘Griha Pravesh’ on her birthday, November 1, but after that she wasn’t there, as she was in rehab at the CoE and then with the Indian team.”
Harish also expressed gratitude to those who supported her comeback through the hard times, including her coaches and trainers who helped restore her fitness and readiness for international duty.