Biography

Born in Vadodara, Yastika Bhatia is among the new wave of cricketers who have brought freshness and flair to the Indian women’s side. Sport was a part of her life from an early age, and it was her father who first nudged her towards cricket by enrolling her in an academy when she was just eight. Alongside her batting, she initially bowled medium pace, but on her coach’s suggestion, she switched to wicketkeeping, a move that would later add great value to her career.

Her rise was steady and consistent, moving through the ranks from Baroda Under-19 to Under-23 before cementing a place in the senior state side. In 2018, she was picked for the 25-member camp at the National Cricket Academy. Soon after, she was handed the captaincy of West Zone and followed it up with strong performances for India A, which pushed her closer to the national spotlight. The breakthrough finally came in 2021 when she was named in India’s squad for the home white-ball series against South Africa, although her debut had to wait. The call eventually came later that year for the Australia tour, where she made her debut across all three formats.

Thrown straight into the deep end against one of the strongest bowling attacks in the world, Yastika impressed with her maturity and composure. Given the competition within the Indian side and the nature of her game, Yastika found herself more at ease in the ODI format than in T20Is. Even though consistency at times eluded her, the team management offered her an extended run, which was hardly surprising considering the talent she possessed. However, injuries soon began to interrupt her progress.

The year 2024 proved especially challenging, as she missed a large part of the season. In April, she suffered a grade one tear of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament in her left knee, side-lining her for months. Just when she was finding rhythm again during her stint with the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL, misfortune struck once more. A small fracture in her wrist in November halted her return and ruled her out of the ODI series in Australia. Yastika’s journey has also been shaped by the Women’s T20 League, where she turned out for Mumbai and played a key role in their title-winning campaign during the inaugural edition. The competition once again became significant for her in 2025, as it marked her return to competitive cricket after injuries, and although her performances were modest, she was part of the side that lifted a second trophy.

A fully fit Yastika, however, was too valuable to ignore, and the selectors handed her a recall for the white-ball tour of England, though she did not get a place in the playing XI. Later in the year, she travelled with the India A side to Australia and made a strong impression with the bat in their series victory. Those performances eventually earned her a place in India’s squad for the ODI World Cup at home. Just when it seemed she was set for an injury-free run, misfortune struck. During the preparatory camp for the global event in Vizag, Yastika suffered a left knee injury that ruled her out of the tournament as well as the home ODI series against Australia that preceded it.