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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.

The Power of Her

Updated: Mar 6, 2025

‘The Perfect Voice’ celebrates strong, trailblazers in this series with stories of women who brave battles every day that serve as an inspiration to the next generation. We have daughters fulfilling their parent’s dreams, victims of domestic abuse rebuilding their lives and professionals dealing with the famous ‘mom guilt’.

Part - 3

Black-Belt Granny

Shaheen Akhtar, Mumbai

Shaheen Akhtar

At first glance, Mumbai’s Shaheen Akhtar appears to be an ordinary, genteel, ‘hijab’ clad woman, out on her normal chores. A close encounter reveals otherwise –Akhtar, 53, is a four-time National Karate Champion, with a steely resolve and packs in a mean set of ‘zuki-uchi’ punches-strikes to knock anyone, down and out.


Just like the Japanese martial discipline, she has climbed her way up with strategic surgical strikes. At present, she is the first-ever woman Referee Commission Member of Asian Karate Federation, and was the only Indian who judged the recent World Karate Federation’s Karate 1 Youth League held in February 2025 in the UAE. Earlier, at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 in China, she worked as the first and only woman ‘Officiating Referee’, raising eyebrows globally, as people yearned to learn more about her.


“I was immersed in karate from the age of 13, since my days at the Christ Church School, Byculla. There I learnt the first of my kicks, stances, punches, blocks and chops. I later completed my B.Com. from HR College, Churchgate and continued to learn Karate. I loved it enough to make it a full-fledged career as a ‘Karateka’ professional,” Akhtar told The Perfect Voice.


Four decades hence, she went kicking-punching her way up, from the Youth League to Premier League, South Asian Championship to Asian Championships, Commonwealth Championship to World Championship, picking up medals, honours and laurels in her discipline for the country, both as a participant and as a referee.


Marriage and family responsibilities didn’t dampen her passion for continued her passion for karate and she continued to serve as the International Technical Official or Officiating Referee and recently as the first woman Referee Commission Member of Asian Karate Federation (AKF), held last month.


In the UAE, she served as referee for all Karate events for men and women where top youth champions took part from different countries, and termed it as “a very crucial and challenging responsibility”, as also in the Hangzhou games.


Explaining her duties, Akhtar says that ‘handling pressure’ is the most critical part of her assignment, when billions of pairs of eyes watch her every move and decisions. “In such global events, participants from all countries perform their best to vie for the top medals. There are top game experts from all the participating countries, sports officials, judges, VIPs, viewers in the stadium and millions more glued to their television sets at home. One erroneous decision on my part can wreak havoc right inside the stadium,” she says.


Inside the ring, she describes how medal-hungry champions from different nations lunge fiercely at each other ‘for the kill’, and the experience becomes a sort of trial even for Akhtar, who is a respected figure world over in karate. “I have to exercise control over these ferocious rivals in the ring, command them to obey and adhere to the rules of the games. If they falter, then there are levels of warnings, penalties, etc. to rein them in… And all under the watchful eyes of many.”


There are exceptional instances when the moderator ‘Kansa’ (match supervisor) may intervene and very rarely the ‘third umpire’ or the video review supervisor could step, but mainly while appealing for points is resorted to.


In her current role, the former four-time national champion, a six-time Maharashtra champion, an 8th Degree Black-Belt holder, Akhtar is ranked as the highest and most qualified female referee for World Karate Federation and Asian Karate Federation in India and in South Asia. Presently, she is passing on her talent and baton to the gen-next through SAMA (Shaheen’s Academy of Martial Arts), affiliated to Karate India Organisation, where she is striving to groom future state, national and international level champions and referees. Her children, daughter Sana Hava and son Ayaan Ansari are also National Champions in karate, and hopes even the next-gen would be inspired by them. “I do hope my long journey can inspire the younger generations to take up Karate as a serious and viable career option."

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