Yastika Bhatia hits historic Lord's century after knee injury comeback

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India wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia believes her ‘best is yet to come’ after she became the first woman cricketer to hit a Test century at the iconic Lord’s stadium.

Bhatia struck 113 off 158 before India declared their second innings on day three, setting hosts England a massive 457-run target.

“It’s unbelievable (to become first woman cricketer to score a 100 at Lord’s) because six months ago I was in a very different place and if you had told me that I would have my name in the honours board I wouldn’t have believed it,” Bhatia said.

“The best is yet come, I have always believed that. 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,” she added.

The 25-year-old left-handed batter expressed gratitude toward the medical teams who helped her back to fitness after she suffered an ACL tear in her left knee in October last year. The injury forced her to miss India’s triumphant home ODI World Cup campaign.

“A lot of people have been working behind the scenes, my family, my father, mother, my sister, they have been the biggest backbone, support. My coaches, trainers back home, the support staff and teammates here have backed me. Also, COE (BCCI’s Centre of Excellence), where I underwent rehab. All of them played a crucial role; it wouldn’t have been possible without them,” she said.

Bhatia reflects on her recovery post-ACL surgery

Reflecting on her recovery timeline, the batter admitted that rebuilding her physical capabilities from zero required mental strength.

“I started from scratch after the surgery. For two months, I was in total rest, all the muscles of my left leg were lost in those two months, so after that I had to start from scratch. The rehab process began after that, and slowly, progress happened. So it was frustrating also, missing out on big tournaments and just doing rehab…but at the same time I had belief in myself that I can come back from this injury,” the 25-year-old left-handed batter said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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