There were days when nothing was happening - Yastika Bhatia

Yastika Bhatia, the left-handed batter, marked her return to international cricket with a match-winning half-century against England at Chelmsford on Thursday. Bhatia, who has been out recovering from a knee injury sustained during a preparatory camp in early September last year, stroked a 40-ball 52 as India beat England by 38 runs in the first T20I.

After injuring her knee, Bhatia underwent an ACL surgery in October last season. Having to spend time recovering from that, she even missed this year's Women's Premier League apart from other international and domestic games. Her last appearance for India had come in October 2024.

Speaking about her time away from the game, Bhatia said, "Those who undergo ACL surgery, the whole muscle of that leg goes away. We have to build everything from scratch. After the surgery, it was pretty tough to go through the rehab process. There were days when nothing was happening. No progress was visible. But because of the support, I kept on going, kept showing up and after months, I could see the improvements."

Terming her half-century as 'really special', Bhatia added, "I'm really grateful. I'm coming back after a long time and the team has welcomed me very nicely. It feels very good to be back. The injury time wasn't easy, but there were people backing me and supporting me.

"Behind the scenes, a lot of work has gone into coming back into the team. My family was very supportive during that time. The Centre of Excellence in Bangalore took care of me very well - the physios and trainers. I'm very thankful to them and even the surgeons who did my surgery. All the teammates and team management staff were in touch with me. All's well that ends well."

The foundation of India's victory in the opening match of the series was built on the 126-run stand for the second wicket between Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues as the duo stroked their respective half-centuries after the visitors had lost both the openers cheaply in the opening over after being put in to bat.

Bhatia cut loose early, stroking three boundaries off Issy Wong in the second over of the innings to ensure India cashed in on the powerplay. She even took down Lauren Bell, Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Sophie Ecclestone, and raced away to 40 off 17 balls within the Powerplay, as India picked up 73 runs in this period.

However, once the field restrictions were off, she was tied down. Off her next 23 deliveries she managed only 12 runs before getting run out while attempting a tight single in the 14th over. During this same period, Jemimah Rodrigues was moving along at a strike rate of 200.

Praising the contribution of her batting partner, Bhatia said, "She was always having a conversation. Even if I missed one or two balls, she would tell me 'No problem, Yasti. You are batting like a dream, just keep playing and you will get the gaps.' She was very mature. Later, she got those boundaries and that flow. The strike rate changed the momentum again in our favour."

Bhatia, who usually opens the batting, found a place in the side after several key players - including skipper Harmanpreet Kaur - were rested from the side for the contest. She also credited the efforts of the English bowlers and fielders in pulling back the momentum, and stated that she would look to improve on her performance in the post-Powerplay phase.

"They bowled pretty well after the Powerplay. They bowled to their fields, and they were mixing their deliveries very well. Charlie Dean bowled very well, she was keeping it tight, and making it difficult. They fielded exceptionally (well). At that time, it was tough for us. We can be more smarter at that time. A bit of momentum shifted towards that time. We were still getting 10 runs an over, Jemi was batting beautifully. But I can be better in that phase, score more runs and try to get her on strike."

Chasing 189 for victory, England were always on the backfoot. However, at the 14th over mark, placed at 101 for 2, with two set batters in the middle, a late assault was not out of the question. However, Shree Charani ended the third wicket alliance on 64, while Nandni Sharma dismissed Amy Jones, who had top-scored with 67. The debutant pacer, who had been taken apart for 23 runs in her first two overs, returned for her next spell and scalped two wickets in two balls to crush England's hopes. She finished with figures of 3 for 43 - the second best figures by an Indian pacer on Women's T20I debut.

Bhatia lauded the performance of the pacer, and said, "She bowled beautifully. She came back well with her slower ones - that's her strength. She bowled to her strengths and got those wickets. In a debut game, it's exceptional.

"Nandni is a product of the WPL. It's good to see her come here and do so well. She was emotional. We all also felt emotional seeing her make her debut. It's good to see that she came well today. It's an exciting time for Indian cricket that whoever is coming to the XI is making a statement and making a contribution."