India wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia has said that the months she spent away from cricket due to a serious ACL knee injury fundamentally reshaped her mindset, instilling in her patience, resilience, and an unshakeable belief in the rehabilitation process. Her words carry particular weight coming just days after she scripted history with a maiden Test century at Lord's — the first by any woman on that ground — and played a pivotal role in India's historic victory over England.

The Emotional Low of Missing Major Tournaments

Speaking at a press conference facilitated by the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) in New Delhi on Saturday, 18 July, Yastika reflected candidly on the darkest stretch of her career. The injury struck at the worst possible time, forcing her to miss a home World Cup and the Women's Premier League (WPL) — two of Indian cricket's marquee events.

'Yes, I think when I got injured, at that time, it was a very low moment for me. And missing out on a home World Cup, and then, like it said, I'll miss out on the WPL as well. So, I think it was a very low moment at that time. And it was a long journey for the DM and everything,' Yastika said.

The injury consigned her to the sidelines as teammates competed on the field and franchise cricket rolled on without her. Rehabilitation replaced match days entirely, demanding a mental recalibration that few athletes openly discuss.

Process Over Results: The Mindset That Drove Her Back

Rather than fixating on outcomes she could not control, Yastika said she anchored herself to the process — a philosophy that ultimately carried her through months of uncertain recovery.

'But still, I knew that if I keep doing the process right, then I will be able to come back from that. And I think patience and resilience is what this journey taught me during the rehab. That even if you can't see the result, the process is what you have to stick to. And you have to have that belief in yourself that you will make a comeback,' she added.

This approach mirrors what sports psychologists broadly describe as process-oriented thinking — a coping mechanism that has helped numerous elite athletes navigate long-term injury absences. For Yastika, it was not abstract theory but a lived necessity.

Support System Behind the Comeback

Yastika was emphatic in crediting the people around her rather than deflecting praise solely onto personal grit. She acknowledged her family, personal coaches, trainers, and physiotherapists — including support staff at the Centre of Excellence (COE) — as foundational to her recovery.

'I had the good support of my family, and my coaches, and my trainers and physios. And trainers and physios at COE as well. So, I think they had formed a good support system. And I had that trust in myself,' she stated.

The institutional backing of the COE, which serves as a high-performance hub for Indian cricket, reportedly played a significant role in structuring her rehabilitation timeline and monitoring her return-to-play milestones.

Lord's Century and What Comes Next

The comeback culminated in one of Indian women's cricket's most celebrated individual moments: a Test century at Lord's that earned Yastika a place on the iconic Lord's Honours Board, a distinction no woman had previously achieved. Yet, notably, she spent more time at the press conference discussing the journey before the hundred than the landmark itself.

Looking ahead, Yastika said the experience has left her mentally stronger and has permanently altered how she approaches adversity. 'And through this journey, I am now even more confident about myself that whatever the setback, whatever the challenges I will face, I will use them as a fuel to come back even stronger,' she expressed.

With her place back in the Indian women's setup firmly re-established, Yastika's story is poised to become one of the defining comeback narratives of this generation of Indian women's cricket.