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By:

Kiran D. Tare

21 August 2024 at 11:23:13 am

The Lady of Lord’s

Yastika Bhatia’s maiden Test century at Lord’s crowns the rise of an elegant wicketkeeper-batter who has quietly become indispensable to India’s new generation. Critics may say that there are flashier cricketers than Yastika Bhatia. She does not possess the raw power of a Smriti Mandhana or the aura of a Harmanpreet Kaur. She rarely dominates highlight reels or social media clips. Instead, she has built her reputation through reliability – a quality far more vital. At a time when white-ball...

The Lady of Lord’s

Yastika Bhatia’s maiden Test century at Lord’s crowns the rise of an elegant wicketkeeper-batter who has quietly become indispensable to India’s new generation. Critics may say that there are flashier cricketers than Yastika Bhatia. She does not possess the raw power of a Smriti Mandhana or the aura of a Harmanpreet Kaur. She rarely dominates highlight reels or social media clips. Instead, she has built her reputation through reliability – a quality far more vital. At a time when white-ball cricket prizes spectacle, the 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has become one of India’s finest practitioners of the understated virtues of timing, patience and composure. Bhatia’s 113 against England which powered the Indian women’s side to a historic win at Lord’s was not merely her maiden Test century but the first ever scored by a woman at cricket’s most celebrated venue. The innings helped India seal a comprehensive 270-run victory in the first women’s Test ever staged at Lord’s. Her hundred earned her a place on the Lord’s honours board, where generations of the game’s greatest names have been immortalised. Few entries have carried quite the same symbolism. Until now, no woman’s name had appeared there for a Test century because no women’s Test had ever been played at the ground. Bhatia’s career has mirrored the evolution of Indian women’s cricket itself. Born in Vadodara, she emerged through Gujarat’s domestic circuit at a time when opportunities for young women were expanding but remained far from abundant. A naturally gifted left-hander, she impressed selectors with a technique that appeared more classical than contemporary. Where modern batting often relies on innovation and improvisation, Bhatia’s game is rooted in balance. She plays late, favours placement over power and rarely appears rushed. Such attributes explain why coaches have long regarded her as especially suited to the demands of Test cricket, even though women are offered precious few opportunities to play the format. Modern wicketkeepers are expected to contribute almost as specialist batters while maintaining relentless concentration over long periods. Bhatia has embraced both responsibilities, becoming an important cog in an Indian side that has steadily shed its dependence on a handful of senior stars. That transformation has accelerated dramatically over the past year. India’s maiden Women’s ODI World Cup triumph marked a watershed for the sport, confirming that the country's women could finally translate promise into silverware. Although Bhatia missed that campaign after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly before the tournament, her absence perhaps underscored her growing importance. Months of rehabilitation restored her confidence. If the World Cup represented the one that got away, Lord’s offered redemption. Returning to international cricket only recently, Bhatia produced an innings of remarkable maturity against England’s experienced attack. Her 113 came from 158 balls, balancing restraint with authority as India tightened their grip on the match. She admitted that six months earlier, while beginning rehabilitation, the idea of seeing her name on the Lord’s honours board would have seemed implausible. Those who know her were scarcely surprised. Former Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More, who has mentored Bhatia, has long spoken of her temperament rather than merely her talent. Scoring a century at Lord’s, he observed, is an ambition shared by virtually every cricketer. Achieving it after months away from the game simply reflected the resilience that had always underpinned her cricket. But hers was not a sentimental century assembled through fortune. It was a technically accomplished performance built on judgement outside off stump, crisp drives through the covers and the patience required by the longest format. It showcased precisely why Test cricket continues to matter. Unlike Twenty20, where brilliance can be compressed into a handful of overs, the five-day game rewards concentration accumulated over hours. For Indian women’s cricket, Bhatia’s century represents something larger than an individual milestone. It demonstrates the increasing depth of a side that is no longer defined solely by its biggest names. New heroes are emerging, backed by stronger domestic structures, better coaching and a professionalism unimaginable a decade ago. The honours board at Lord’s records statistics with characteristic restraint. It simply notes that Yastika Bhatia scored a century. Future generations may glance at the name without appreciating the path that led there. But Indian cricket will remember that the first woman to reach three figures at Lord’s was not merely making history. She was announcing that a new generation has arrived.

A Truce Vs Durable Peace

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

A Truce Vs Durable Peace

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his address to the UN General Assembly on Friday, displayed two maps; one was titled “The Blessing,” and the other “The Curse!” “The Blessing” did not identify the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but showed all the territory as one nation, Israel! He announced the continuation of military actions in Lebanon and said “I’ve come here today to say enough is enough. We won’t rest until our citizens can return safely to their homes.”

It’s been a year since Hamas’s October 7 unprecedented attack, more than 1500 Israelis have been killed and hundreds abducted into deep dark tunnels of Gaza. Hezbollah, a Shia militia of Lebanon is targeting the north of Israel whereas the southern parts of the country are attacked by Houthis, the Yemeni Shia rebels. Houthis have also been attacking commercial vessels near Israel’s shoreline, disrupting the global maritime trade. The Iraqi Shia militants targeted Israel’s strongest ally, the United States by launching rockets at bases hosting US troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan! Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis have relentlessly launched over 11000 missiles and mortar shells into Israel, displacing over 100,000 Israelis in the past year. Iran’s ‘Operation True Promise’ alone targeted Israel’s Golan plateau with over 300 missiles and drones fired in a single night of April 2024! Iran with its proxies has adopted a horizontal escalation strategy to wipe off Israel.

For the past half-century, Israel has been only retaliating and has not subdued the enemy with full-scale war. The world’s best military weapons have been targeting only the positions exposed due to the firing from enemy’s lines, rather than demolishing the sites pinpointed by years of deep research.

In Sep 2024, when thousands of pagers and other communication devices exploded in the hands of sworn enemies, the world marvelled at the Israeli intelligence and capabilities. Once again, it is proved that Israel is bending over backwards to conduct precise-targeted killings and destroy the command structure of the enemy force. As these proxies remain deeply embedded within the civilian population and are using civilians as human shields, Israel is using such sophisticated precision targeting to ensure minimal damage.

However, these target actions by Israel have been criticised by experts as killing the leader does not destroy the entire militia; the destruction of critical infrastructure does not eliminate all the risks. These slim victories do not ensure long-term security; rather, such actions help the enemy to win grassroots support. This targeted retaliatory policy of Israel has led to enemy aggressions from all sides. “A crushing response from the Axis of Resistance” is what was promised by Iran’s Commander Hossein Salami to Hezbollah Chief. Israel’s actions are also condemned for putting many noncombatants at risk. But this ‘moral radar’ malfunctions when hundreds of Hamas-Hezbollah missiles race towards Israel with a genocidal intent.

When Israel finally took up arms against Hezbollah’s infrastructure in Lebanon for conclusive victory, a sudden call for a ceasefire echoed in the UN assembly. The UN has turned a blind eye to the sufferings of Israelis and Israeli settlers for a long time. In September this year, the UN assembly passed a resolution demanding Israel to end its “unlawful presence” and remove its settlements from Palestinian territory within the next 12 months. Issuance of such directives and condemnation by the UN are not new to Israel. In the 90’s when Israel relinquished control over parts of Gaza, the Palestinian faction attacked and killed one thousand Israelis.

Hezbollah started The Second Lebanon War when Israel withdrew from Lebanon in the past. In 2005, Israel withdrew completely from Gaza, and since then, the Israelis have endured war atrocities. Israel’s “Iron Lady” Golda Meir once said “Give up this and give up the other place. Give up the Golan Heights. What happened when we were not on the Golan Heights? We were not on the Golan Heights before ’67, and for 19 years, Syria had guns up there and shot at our agricultural settlements below. So what, if we give up the Golan Heights, they will stop shooting? They say we must be dead. And we say we want to be alive. Between life and death, I don’t know of a compromise. And that’s why we have no choice.”

Can peace be decreed only upon one nation that is constantly targeted by neighbours, when her neighbours refuse to accept her very existence right from the day of her formation; when geopolitical conflicts are fuelled by third parties to earn enormous defence export profits? Isn’t peace a shared responsibility?

The UN directives and peace accords could not safeguard Israelis from unprovoked attacks. The Iran-proxies have not retreated from Israeli borders. On the contrary, they built secret tunnels, procured the lethal arsenal and mapped ‘The Conquest of the Galilee Plan’ as fighting Jewish land is the only reason why they exist! Peace cannot be decreed solely through truce and treaties! A truce without considering its potential impact does not resolve the conflict. An accord without justice fails to restore durable peace!

(The writer is a foreign affairs expert. Views personal.)

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