Yastika Bhatia

A black belt in karate, a swimmer and a district-level badminton player. Yastika Bhatia is all that, but more importantly, she is a cricketer with an ODI World Cup appearance, two T20 World Cup appearances, and a Commonwealth Games silver medal.

Bhatia was only eight when she was enrolled in the Youth Service Centre in Baroda. She was a natural athlete and her coach, Santosh Chaugule, helped her hone her technique and strengthen her basics. As a secondary skill, she bowled medium pace. But at the suggestion of the selectors, she took to, and revelled in, keeping wicket.

She was selected to play for Baroda Under-19 when just 11. Thereon, it was a steady rise: a century in the Under-19 competition against Maharashtra, a 136-ball 145 in the Under-23 One Day Trophy against Haryana, and a belligerent 63-ball 125 not out in the Under-23 T20 Trophy against Manipur. She made it to Baroda's senior side, too.

During the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, her father, Harish, converted a portion of their society's parking lot into a net facility and helped Bhatia with throwdowns. Bhatia was relentless with her training routines - Chaugule called her "ziddi (stubborn)" - and she soon got a maiden call-up for India's first series after Covid-19, at home against South Africa. She didn't get a game then but made her ODI, Test and T20I debuts on the tour of Australia later that year.

Bhatia struck two half-centuries in the 2022 ODI World Cup and played as the concussion substitute for Taniya Bhatia in the final of the Commonwealth Games 2022. Bhatia was selected by Mumbai Indians for INR 1.5 crore after they overcame a fierce bidding war with Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz.