“A lot of work has gone into coming back into the team” – Yastika Bhatia reflects on ACL recovery after England win

Yastika Bhatia. Image :BCCI Women

Trisha Ghosal, Chelmsford

India’s no 3 for this game, Yastika Bhatia admitted that months of hard work behind the scenes made her comeback innings against England even more special as she helped India recover from an early collapse to take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series. Here’s excerpts from Yastika’s post match press conference:

“A lot of work has gone into coming back”

Having spent a lengthy spell away from the game recovering from ACL surgery, Bhatia spoke candidly about the challenges of rehabilitation and the people who helped her return to international cricket.

“I’m very grateful,” she said. “A lot of work has gone into coming back again into the team. The Centre of Excellence, the physios, trainers, surgeons, my family and friends all supported me through that period.”

Bhatia explained that ACL recovery often involves rebuilding strength from scratch and admitted there were phases where progress seemed invisible.

“There were days where nothing was happening and no progress was visibly seen. But I just kept showing up every day and after months I could see the improvement.”

Partnership first after early wickets

India were in trouble after losing both Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma in the opening over, but Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues stitched together the partnership that turned the innings around.

According to Bhatia, the message from Rodrigues was simple.

“The first thing she said was, ‘Let’s build a partnership and keep playing positively.’ We both felt we were in good touch coming into the series, so the idea was to watch the ball, find the gaps and build a stand before capitalising later.”

The pair guided India to one of their highest powerplay totals in Women’s T20Is before Rodrigues accelerated further in the middle overs.

“Jemimah was backing me throughout”

Bhatia reserved special praise for Rodrigues, who top-scored with 69.

“She was very mature. When I missed a few balls she kept telling me, ‘No problem, you’re batting like a dream, just keep playing.’ Later she got into her flow and changed the momentum again in our favour.”

Bhatia also admitted that England’s bowlers made scoring difficult after the powerplay.

“They bowled to their fields and mixed their pace well. Charlie Dean bowled really well and made it difficult for us. Looking back, I could have been smarter in that phase, rotated strike better and got Jemimah on strike more because she was batting beautifully.”

Praise for debutant Nandni Sharma

Bhatia also highlighted the performance of debutant Nandni Sharma, who claimed three wickets in England’s chase.

“She bowled beautifully and backed her strengths, especially her slower ball. We were all emotional when she got her cap and it was great to see her perform like that on debut.”

Bhatia believes Nandni Sharma’s success is further proof of the strength of India’s domestic structure and the Women’s Premier League.

“It’s exciting times for Indian cricket because whoever is coming into the XI is making a statement and contributing.”

Harmanpreet’s return and India’s fielding effort

With Harmanpreet Kaur rested for the opening game, Bhatia said the side was looking forward to having the captain back for the remainder of the series.

“It’s a long tour and she was rested. We are looking forward to having her in the next two games.”

Bhatia also praised India’s fielding effort, highlighting the catches taken by Shafali Verma and the energy displayed by the group throughout England’s chase.

“The team management puts a lot of thought into field placements and having the right fielders in the right positions. Shafali took really good catches under pressure, Jemimah was quick in the field and there was good energy throughout. We enjoyed our time out there and got the win.”

For Bhatia, the result was the perfect reward after a long road back to international cricket, one made possible by patience, perseverance and the support of those around her.

Follow Revsportz for latest sports news

Also read Jemimah, Nandni and Yastika Star as India Beat England by 38 Runs to Take 1-0 Lead in T20I Series

The post “A lot of work has gone into coming back into the team” – Yastika Bhatia reflects on ACL recovery after England win appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Consistent Nicholas Pooran can be world’s top T20 batter

Image
Nicholas Pooran’s carnage against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Image: IPL He has always had a calmness about him. A very West Indian relaxed kind of mindset and demeanour. And having seen adversity, he knows that one needs to celebrate and value the good that comes your way. The urge to keep getting better, and be the best version of oneself, is what defines the new Nicholas Pooran. That’s what came through in the candid conversations we had on the IPL and his own approach to batting. Not overawed by the 21-crore price tag or the weight of expectations, Pooran is simply going about his job. He knows he can hit the ball miles and is keeping it simple. Go and do what you do best for hours and hours at practice, and in doing so, help your team Lucknow Super Giants] demolish opponents. “The best part about this franchise is they have never put me under pressure,” he told me. “When you are paid a lot of money, there is always pressure. Not so much from outside but from within. You know you ne...
Read more

Turning the clock back by 0.12 seconds

Image
MS Dhoni with a stumping dismissal against MI in the IPL 2025 in Chennai (PC: BCCI) The moment of the Chennai Super Kings-Mumbai Indians match lasted less than half a second. It was the 11 th over of the MI innings. Suryakumar Yadav was bringing the batting side back in the game. Noor Ahmad beat him on a forward charge, the ball spun away, and the right-hander’s hind leg got off the ground before he planted it back. That was all MS Dhoni needed to brush the bails off. At a packed MA Chidambaram Stadium decked in yellow and chanting his name, that was the only occasion when Dhoni was in ‘action’. It showed that at 43, his reflexes have not slackened and he has got sharper in plotting dismissals. This one was replayed on TV again and again during the match and commentators couldn’t help but keep talking about it. He had conceded four byes on the leg side in the same over. But this was the Dhoni who elevated stumping to another level. When it comes to waiting for batters to err wit...
Read more

From scoring ton in Patna to taking on bouncers like a ‘bullet’ in Perth – Nitish’s story of perseverance

Image
Nitish Kumar Reddy during the 1st innings of the Perth Test (PC: Debasis Sen) “Grateful, an innings to remember.” Nitish Reddy had posted the aforesaid statement on his Instagram account after cracking his maiden first-class hundred, against Bihar, in Patna. It wasn’t just about Nitish scoring an unbeaten 159 for Andhra. It was also about the way he scored those runs. He essayed a few crunchy drives off Veer Pratap Singh and also showcased his range of shots against Ashutosh Aman, the left-arm spinner, by playing with the turn and also against the turn. This hundred from Nitish came just before the 2024 IPL season, where he accumulated 303 runs. Once again, it wasn’t just about Nitish accruing 303 runs as he accumulated them with a touch of class. Soon, the Indian think-tank drafted the all-rounder into the limited-overs set-up. Although he missed the Zimbabwe series because of a hernia problem, it was crystal clear that the coaching staff had a vision – to pick him for the tour o...
Read more