New Delhi [India], July 7 : India's rising cricketer Yastika Bhatia reflected on how the World Cup opportunity turned out to be an eye-opener for her.
Yastika was named in India's squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh which is set to begin within two days time. She has featured in 13 of the 35 women's T20Is that India have played since the start of 2022.
Even with the availability of experienced alternatives, the management decided to go with her which depicts that they are looking at the 22-year-old as a long-term alternative.
Yastika would be looking to play with a winning mentality as she did during her time in the World Cup. Even though she failed to live up to the expectations, she will be keen to make the most of the opportunity and learn as much as possible against Bangladesh.
"It is not always that [the expectations at world events] get fulfilled because the other team is also there [to win] after [putting in] a lot of effort. Perhaps our efforts may not be enough, and we need to do more. It is about learning from other teams or by looking at players from your own team; what they have done better, we can learn and apply [those lessons]. You only understand these once you go through those situations. Playing World Cups showed me what I am and what I need to do better. That was an important experience for my career," Yastika said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
In the Common Wealth Games final, Yastika stepped on the crease to bat at No. 9, with India needing 17 off 11, as a replacement for the concussed Taniya Bhatia, and was the last player out for a five-ball 2. She was trapped right in front of the wicket as she missed a reverse sweep against Australia's Jess Jonassen, and India ended up falling short by 9 runs.
Even though she missed the opportunity to clinch the victory she still backed her approach, intent and shot selection during that moment.
"Anybody can sit outside and say you should have done this or that," she reflects. "When you are inside, you know what's going on and how to tackle the situation. If that shot had come off and it [had] been a boundary, everybody would have said something else. I just take it in my stride, whatever has happened. My intent was to win the match for the team. That will always be there. I will always put my best foot forward, never anything else," Yastika signed off.
Yastika is coming off a successful Women's Premier League (WPL) season, where she played a crucial part in the success that WPL champions Mumbai Indians enjoyed throughout the season.
She formed a formidable opening pair with West Indies' Hayley Matthews, scoring 214 runs in the tournament. She flourished under India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and she will look to do it again.
India women will play the first match of the T20I series against Bangladesh women on July 9.
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