Women's World Cup 2022: Yastika Bhatia, the daring Baroda batter who is keeping the big guns on their toes
Women's World Cup 2022: Yastika Bhatia, the daring Baroda batter who is keeping the big guns on their toes
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Three years back, a 19-year old Yastika Bhatia strolled out for the Baroda team against Haryana and smashed a 145 to help her team cross 300 for the very first time in the Under-23 Women's One Day league. For a teenage batter who had always been a technically correct player, this was a confidence-boosting knock, one that confirmed she was ready for the bigger leagues.
Unfortunately, the break due to the COVID-19 pandemic hit Yastika at the wrong time. Her mind-blowing knock would become history by the time India women played again, but for someone who was determined to focus on her game relentlessly, the national call-up was never too far away. Yastika put up a batting net in her colony with her father giving throwdowns as she revealed in an interview with the Times of India.
Although it materialised in the home series against South Africa last year, she didn't get to play a game that series. An impressive showing in the warm-up game in Australia saw her slot in at No 3 in the ODIs against Australia. She ended that series with scores of 35, 3 and 64, the last knock playing a big part in India beating Australia by two wickets. Yastika played four of the five ODIs against New Zealand and is mounting pressure on some of the big guns to start at No 3 in the first XI.
Hailing from a family of doctors, Yastika took to the sport after her father insisted on her taking up at least one sport. She possesses a karate black belt too and has played at the state level. But it is her cricket that took center stage after she realised she can be a professional in the field when she made it to the senior state team at 11 years of age. Playing with 14-year old boys at the age of 11 in a practice game, Yastika made a half-century, further enhancing the confidence she had in her skills.
The confidence is unmistakable in this 21-year old who is also a wicketkeeper. Chosen as one among the 25 girls for the National Cricket Academy under-19 camp early in her career, Yastika soon became a notable name in domestic cricket with her big runs and daring confidence.
Her seamless integration into the national team — she made her ODI, Test and T20I debuts in 2021 — shows how she can be a future star for the women's team. Her runs will pose a major conundrum for India at the Women's ODI World Cup in New Zealand in March.
India's first-choice top seven has three senior batters in Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Mithali Raj and Shafali Verma as the designated opening partner for Mandhana. The three remaining spots are occupied by wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, who has all but cemented her spot, and the two spin-bowling all-rounders Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma.
It's difficult for Yastika to squeeze in ahead of any of these names into the starting XI, but definitely not impossible. A natural at the No 3 slot, she will make a strong case to be picked ahead of Rana, especially on the spicier wickets where the extra overs of spin might be surplus to requirements. That India have struggled with the No 3 spot further pushes her case and in a big-ticket tournament like this, with India looking to solidify the batting, Yastika is as promising a player as any to have at the position.
In a few months, Yastika has created a place for herself in the national team and is keeping at least two of the big names in the top seven on their toes.
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