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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.

‘Green’ oases amid ‘Saffron’ surge

AIMIM and ISLAM parties rock in civic polls

Mumbai: Amid Maharashtra’s sweeping saffron surge, a counter-current has quietly but decisively come to the fore – in the form of a fledgling Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra (ISLAM) Party and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

 

Shocking punters and pundits, both parties with a Muslim base have etched striking footprints in the elections to 29 municipal corporations, marking a dawn of reshaping minority politics in the state.

 

Interestingly, a total of 29 Muslim candidates are elected to the BMC, including Congress (14), AIMIM (8), SS (UBT)’s 3, SP and NCP (2 each).

 

‘Kite’ Soars

For the 99-year-old AIMIM, the election is a milestone as the party crossed the 125-seat mark across Maharashtra, registering strong gains in urban centres where it was once scorned, as the Muslims search for a new ‘messiah’.

 

In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, it won 33 of 115 wards, improving from 24 in 2017, and presenting itself as a formidable civic force working for the commoners, as the ‘Kite’ (poll symbol) climbed higher.

 

More significantly, AIMIM will make a thundering entry to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with 8 seats, including 2 non-Muslims, in the 227-member house – up from just 2 wins in 2017 -  considered a big leap of faith in India’s financial capital.

 

This gladdened the hearts of AIMIM President, Barrister Asasuddin Owaisi, state chief Imtiaz Jaleel and Spokesperson Waris Pathan termed their party’s performance as a ‘vindication’ of their hard work and acceptance among the Muslims and minorities, and a slap for those who dismiss them as BJP’s B-Team.

 

ISLAM Bulldozes

The minority-dominated Malegaon delivered a major political earthquake as the 15-month-old ISLAM Party emerged as the single largest in Malegaon Municipal Corporation, capping 35 of 84 seats; the AIMIM bagged 21.

 

Celebrating the mandate by zooming around in the ‘Autorickshaw’ (party symbol), ISLAM Party President Aasif Shaikh Rasheed, struck a conciliatory yet confident tone. Staking claim to the post of Mayor as the largest party, he kept a window open for suitable adjustments “in the interest of unity and development.”

 

The AIMIM-ISLAM parties’ performance indicates a quiet political churning – Muslim voters feeling betrayed by all parties are now examining viable options - parties or leaders who promise them ‘salvation’.

 

With AIMIM’s 21 seats, the ISLAM Party and its ally SP (5) is hoping to install its Mayor, as the Mahayuti ally Shiv Sena managed 18 seats; Congress 3; and BJP a paltry 2.

 

Rasheed’s own political journey has been quite a whirlwind ride - from a Congress MLA to NCP leader, then an independent candidate, and now heading the ISLAM Party – with hopes to end Malegaon’s anxious search for credible local Muslim leadership.

 

SP ‘Cycle’ punctured

Once trusted as a Muslim-Dalit political platform in Maharashtra, the Uttar Pradesh-based SP is faltering with a decline in its overall performance.

 

This has rattled the state SP chief Abu Asim Azmi, a 4-time MLA, as the AIMIM bagged 7 seats in his backyard of Mankhurd-Govandi.


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