Vadodara: Baroda cricketer Yastika Bhatia scripted history on Sunday by becoming the first ever Indian woman cricketer to score a century at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. The gritty batter is also only the second cricketer (men and women) from Gujarat to score a Test hundred at the historic venue.The last time a Gujarati cricketer achieved this milestone was in 1952 when Vinoo Mankad scored 184 in a Test match against England. Yastika, a wicketkeeper-batter, scored 113 runs from 158 balls and earned a place on the Lord’s Honours Board. The Lord’s is hosting its first ever women’s Test cricket.“I think it is one of the greatest comebacks in cricket as Yastika had suffered serious injury and missed several tournaments in the last few years. Such injuries often end the careers of cricketers. But she overcame the challenge and earned her place in cricketing history. Yastika was always a determined and confident player,” said ex-India cricketer Kiran More who mentored her in Vadodara.Praising her composure on field, More told TOI, “She batted with discipline and played some wonderful shots against England. It’s any cricketer’s dream to score a 100 at the Lord’s. Credit also goes to the Baroda Cricket Association, the Indian cricket team management and her teammates who supported her in the crucial phase.”Yastika’s father Harish Bhatia was ecstatic as his daughter touched the 100-run mark. “It’s one of the happiest moments in our lives. She overcame a serious ligament injury on her left leg and got back into the Indian team. Yastika has always been a fighter and deserves a loud applause for achieving this milestone,” said Harish.Yastika began her cricketing journey from the age of 8 at the Youth Service Centre (YSC) club in Vadodara. She wanted to be a pace bowler but fate had other plans as the YSC team had a spot for a wicketkeeper.A young Yastika decided to give it a go and excelled at wicketkeeping soon. The BCA selectors noticed her consistent performance and made her captain of the Baroda Under-23 team that delivered at the 2019 women’s T20 cricket tournament.“She was always a talented player and we knew she would go on to do something special. What sets her apart from other players is her determination and discipline,” said Sudhir Parab, founder of YSC Club.Yastika was later picked for the India A team that won the ACC Women’s Emerging Asia Cup title against Sri Lanka. In 2022, she was picked for India’s ODI World Cup squad for the first time and later she played three World Cup tournaments.
