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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.

Coldplay’s cross-generational appeal lies in innovation

Updated: Jan 21, 2025

Coldplay

Mumbai: If we saw a 50-plus Sachin Tendulkar swinging to the music, a 40-something Shreya Ghoshal was crooning and dancing to the numbers being belted out and a 20-something Suhana Khan with Navya Naveli Nanda were grooving to the same beats as Coldplay captured Mumbai city on Sunday. Groups of teenagers were in a celebratory mood, donning bands and colourful tees as they boarded the special suburban trains that were booked by the organisers to ferry fans to the venue in Navi Mumbai. The excitement was palpable and it felt like a festive wave had swept over the entire city.


Coldplay, the British band’s star appeal and pull was such that tickets were sold out almost on day one and were being resold in black, at multiple times the original price, through WhatsApp groups. A ‘balcony ticket’ gave the owners bragging rights like nothing else. A 75-year-old advertising professional from Cuffe Parade has been parading his expensive ticket for the past 45 days, much to the envy of those who didn’t bag it in time.


Coldplay’s first concert in the Music of the Spheres series saw more than 75000 fans gather at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai. Two more concerts till January 21 will wrap up their Mumbai tour before they head to Ahmedabad where there are no tickets left.


The British rock band, led by pianist and vocalist Chris Martin, was formed in 1997, a few years before most of the fans, crowding the stadium, were even born. But the Gen Z, growing up on a heavy dose of Taylor Swift and K-pop music, jostled for space with the millennials and Gen X and even older music fans when Coldplay announced their concert.


Their cross-generational appeal is fascinating. When Bryan Adams came to India last month, the crowd was largely a 35-plus audience who were there to soak in some nostalgia of listening to his rock songs on loop on their cassettes and the Walkman. Backstreet Boys, a rage in the 1990s, is a band that’s probably relegated to an inner corner of the human memory. But Coldplay, a band that is 27 years old, continues to wow people. What’s the secret for The Scientist, Yellow and a Sky Full of Stars to be on the playlist of most?


Music lover Kabir Khaitan explains that Coldplay has innovated and moved with the times. They originated at a time when rock and roll ruled the music scene but belted out pop along the way. Along with their timeless classics, they’ve dished out chart-topping hits that have a broad appeal. Not staying confined to their original fan base, Coldplay collaborated with young heart-throbs like Beyonce, Avicii and The Chainsmokers and recently, even with K-pop bands whose appeal about the Gen Z is unrivalled. So, if a 40-year-old will get nostalgic with The Scientist, the young ones will jump and swing to Yellow.

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