It might have been slightly more perfect had Mandhana been at the opposite end of the pitch as Bhatia celebrated becoming the first woman on the Lord’s Test batting honours board but, after what they’ve both been through, they’ll take the highs however they come.
After a disappointing T20 World Cup in which she managed only 41 runs in three innings as India were knocked out in the group phase immediately before this Test, Bhatia bounced back in fine fashion on Sunday. Her 113, including a 73-run stand for the second wicket with Mandhana, helped India to a massive 456-run lead over England. By stumps, the hosts were six wickets down and staring down a hefty defeat with 327 runs still needed on the fourth and final day.
Mandhana had reached 70, her second half-century of the match, but was out early on the third day after adding just one to her overnight score. So she had to watch from a distance as Bhatia shared a celebratory hug with Deepti Sharma in the middle.
“It’s unbelievable because six months ago I was in a very different place and if you would have told me that I would have my name on the honours board I wouldn’t have believed it,” Bhatia told reporters at Lord’s on Sunday evening. “But it’s all small steps to that place and I have worked really hard and my family’s support was there since my beginning so all of that really paid off today. It’s a really great feeling.”
Mandhana tore her ACL playing in the WBBL in early January 2017 and required surgery, returning in time for the World Cup when India finished runners up to England at Lord’s in July that year. So she could identify with what Bhatia describes as having to “start from scratch” building up the muscle mass around her knee again.
“I had a conversation with her and she just looked at me and she said that this is going to be a turning point in your career,” Bhatia said. “She said that because the injuries or setbacks, bigger setbacks, she also faced.
“She told me, ‘after that injury I learned so much about everything, little, little things in rehab in cricket, so it completely changed me, so I think for you also it will be like that and your entire mindset will change, your game will go into a different level, I’m sensing that for you,’ she told me that.
“I was a little nervous about how things will go but she said, ‘keep doing your hard work, you are a sincere kid, you are a good human, just keep doing hard work and one day your time will come’. She gave me those reassuring words and she helped me then.”
Bhatia took over wicketkeeping duties from Richa Ghosh for this Test in another throwback to her recovery from injury, given that it was the first skill she was able to practise again post-surgery.
“Just catches I did, not even batting, first I did keeping, so I was very happy, that day I was like a little kid, smiling the whole day that I did keeping after four months,” Bhatia recalled. “Those moments are very priceless and I felt the love of the game again after that.
“That should always remain for all players, whatever setbacks you have, however deep that setback is, the love for the game, the belief in yourself, that’s very, very crucial to come out of it from that rock bottom and just rise up.”
Rise up she has, to the pinnacle of what can be achieved by a batter at Lord’s, at the first time of asking too. By playing her part in what looked like a certain India victory after the penultimate day of the first women’s Test match ever to be played at the famous ground, Bhatia can say she helped her team to the top too. And perhaps she’s inspired someone else, just as Mandhana helped to inspire her when she needed it most.
“I always believe that we are in a good position to inspire young girls and boys, so it’s a responsibility as well to put in a good performance and carry ourselves well on and off the field,” Bhatia said.
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women’s cricket, at Cricinfo
