Mumbai: Yashtika Bhatia’s century at Lord’s on Sunday was a milestone for women’s cricket in India, but it also marked the end of a difficult period for her family. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman became the first woman to score a hundred in a Test at Lord’s, hitting 113 off 158 balls with 14 fours on day three of the first women’s Test against England at the Home of Cricket.Her father Harish Bhatia said the innings were the culmination of months of hard work after a knee injury that ruled Yashtika out of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup and kept her away from cricket for about six months after she underwent ACL surgery in October.Speaking to TOI in Vadodara, Harish recalled an incident that took place at the Indian women’s team training camp in Visakhapatnam in September last year, which showed the depth of bond between Yashtika and her teammates.“When Yashtika got injured, all her teammates were in tears. They didn’t even ask her to pack her bags as she was injured but did the job for her. It was a good gesture on their part. Later, when she was at the BCCI in Bengaluru They would visit her during her rehabilitation at the Center of Excellence. They would tell her: ‘Get well soon, Yashtika. We are waiting for you’ and send her messages of encouragement. Today, I want to thank all her Indian teammates for their support during this phase,” Vadodara’s Harish Bhatia told TOI.Harish said the injury was disappointing for Yashtika as she wanted to help India in the ODI World Cup, but she soon shifted her focus to returning to international cricket.“Yastika was in a bad mood after the injury because she wanted to help India win the ODI World Cup last year. However, she wanted India to win the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup and told me, ‘Dad, I will help India win the T20 World Cup.’ Unfortunately, that couldn’t happen, but she has now scored a brilliant century at Lord’s,” Harish said.He credited former India wicketkeeper Kiran More for mentoring Yashtika over the years, helping her through her recovery period and preparing her for the England tour.“Yastika prepared very hard for this tour. The credit goes to Kiran More, who was like a father to her and guided her every step of the way. He always told her: ‘Yastika, you are my best student.’ During her injured phase, he would constantly encourage her and tell her: ‘This phase will be over.’ ” It was just a six-month thing. Mr. Kiran worked with her for hours on end, including wicketkeeping and batting. Yashtika is also a hard-working and disciplined cricketer. I never saw her miss a session. When we bought a new house in Karnali, Vadodara, she participated in the ‘Griha Pravesh’ function we organized on her birthday on November 1, but after that, she did not come here as she was undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE while she was with the Indian team,” said Harish Bhatia.He also thanked those who supported her comeback.“I would like to thank all the coaches and trainers of the CoE and Baroda, BCCI, selectors and India women’s team head coach Amol Muzumdar for helping her get fit and showing confidence in her abilities despite her ACL injury,” he added.More said Yastika’s century was the reward for her perseverance after dealing with injuries and setbacks.“It was a good century and she bowled really well. She has always been talented but she did battle with injuries and was dropped a lot in the past. However, Yastika has now proven her worth in the Lord’s Trial with this particular tone. ” More told TOI.The Lord’s century came after another important contribution earlier in England’s tour, when Astika scored a winning 54 off 40 balls in the first T20I at Chelmsford. Prior to this, she scored just 41 runs in four matches at an average of 13.66 during the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, where India were eliminated in the league stage.Former India captain Diana Edelji believes this innings could be the turning point in Yashtika’s career.“This is a mythical century. I hope this is a turning point in Yashtika’s career. She has to stay injury-free from now on and focus on staying consistent,” Edelji told TOI.Yashtika also joined the elite list of Indian cricketers by scoring a hundred in the Lord’s cricket tournament. The list includes Vinoo Mankad (1952), Gundappa Viswanath (1979), Dilip Vengsarkar (1979, 1982 and 1986), Ravi Shastri (1990), Mohammed Azharuddin (1990), Sourav Ganguly (1996), Ajit Agarkar (2002), Rahul Dravid (2011), Ajinkya Rahane (2014) and KL Rahul (2021). and 2025).
