India wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia spoke about how her long road to recovery from a serious ACL injury helped her learn patience, perseverance, and faith, which have contributed to one of the most significant performances of her career.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA), just days after becoming the first Indian woman to score a Test century at Lord’s, Yastika talked about her feelings on the matter. However, she quickly moved on to the challenges that led to this century.
Missing major tournaments became the biggest test for Yastika Bhatia
The left-hander stated that suffering the knee injury was one of the worst moments of her career, as it not only kept her away from India’s home World Cup but also the Women’s Premier League.
“Yes, I think when I got injured, at that time, it was a worst moment for me. As I missed out on a home World Cup, it was also said that I’ll miss out on the WPL as well. So, I think that was the worst moment for me at that point in time. And it was a very long journey for the DM and everything,” the player said while responding to an IANS query.
Instead of preparing for the games, Yastika had to undergo months of rehabilitation. She said that the recovery process was a challenge, but she never lost faith that all her hard work and treatment would soon pay off. Instead, the focus changed from playing the games to recovery.
“But still, I knew that if I kept doing the process, then I would be able to come back from that, and I think patience and resilience are what this journey has taught me during the rehab. That even when you can’t see the results, the process is what you have to stick to, and you have to have that belief in yourself that you will make a comeback,” she added.
It was all worth it for the 24-year-old as she made a spectacular comeback to the Indian team and etched her name in cricket history by becoming the first-ever woman to score a century at Lord’s Cricket Ground, helping India register a historic victory against England.
But, she added that the credit for the same goes to her family, coaches, and the entire support system, without whose help, she wouldn’t have been able to recover from such a severe knee injury.
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“And I had the good support of my family, my coaches, my trainers and physios. And trainers and physios at COE as well. So, I think they had formed a good support system. And I had that trust in myself,” Yastika said.
Furthermore, she adds that the injury taught her a lesson about being mentally strong and having faith in myself and my support system so that I can overcome any challenge or setback in my life.
“And through this journey, I am now even more confident about myself that whatever the setback, whatever the challenges I will face, I will use them as a fuel to come back even stronger,” Yastika concluded.
From being disheartened about missing out on the WTC to scoring a century at the Lord’s, Yastika showed exemplary character and mental strength in facing one of the toughest phases of her life.
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