top of page

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.

India Needs a Credit Repair Framework—Not Permanent Financial Punishment

India’s financial system has made remarkable progress in expanding credit access. Yet, there is a quiet crisis unfolding beneath the surface—millions of otherwise responsible borrowers remain locked out of formal credit due to temporary financial distress experienced during extraordinary times.


The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by economic disruptions, medical emergencies, and employment instability, pushed many individuals into short-term loan defaults. These were not cases of wilful negligence, but of systemic shock. However, our credit reporting and scoring mechanisms continue to treat such defaults as permanent red flags, often without scope for contextual review or rehabilitation.


Recently, I submitted a proposal to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Ministry of Finance urging the introduction of a structured Credit Repair and Rehabilitation Framework—one that balances credit discipline with economic realism and human fairness.


Why Credit Repair Matters Now

India is aiming to become a $5 trillion economy, driven by consumption, entrepreneurship, and MSME growth. Yet, credit exclusion acts as a silent brake on this ambition. When salaried professionals, small entrepreneurs, and self-employed workers are denied access to loans years after a one-time crisis default, we unintentionally push them toward informal lending, higher interest rates, or economic stagnation.


A rigid “once-defaulted, always-risky” approach may protect balance sheets in the short term, but it undermines long-term credit expansion and trust in the formal system.


Learning from Global Practices

Globally, regulators are rethinking this approach. For instance, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has recently introduced a regulated credit repair mechanism allowing borrowers with limited, time-bound overdue records from crisis periods to restore creditworthiness. Importantly, this does not weaken credit discipline—it strengthens it by distinguishing temporary hardship from habitual default.


India, with its robust digital banking and credit infrastructure, is well-positioned to design an even more nuanced and accountable framework.


What a Balanced Framework Could Look Like


A well-regulated credit rehabilitation policy could include:

• Eligibility limited to crisis-period defaults, officially notified by regulators

• Caps on overdue amount and frequency

• Mandatory cooling-off periods and improved repayment behaviour

• Bank-led review and approval mechanisms

• Clear RBI guidelines for credit bureaus on data correction and updating


Such a framework would be conditional, transparent, and auditable, ensuring no dilution of systemic risk controls.


Economic Inclusion Is Economic Strength

Credit systems are not merely risk filters—they are economic enablers. A borrower who recovers, repays consistently, and rebuilds financial discipline should not remain excluded indefinitely due to a past crisis.


True financial inclusion is not just about opening accounts or issuing loans—it is about allowing recovery, rebuilding trust, and restoring dignity within the system.


The Way Forward

This is an opportune moment for RBI and the Finance Ministry to initiate a structured consultation with banks, NBFCs, credit bureaus, economists, and consumer representatives to explore a calibrated credit repair framework tailored for India.


Second chances, when governed responsibly, do not weaken economies—they strengthen them.


As India charts its next phase of growth, our credit policies must evolve from being purely punitive to progressively rehabilitative, without compromising prudence.

Comments

bottom of page