Jemimah Rodrigues, 25, was a picture of composure and determination right up to the time India crossed the finish line after a record run chase in the second semi-final of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup against Australia. However, moments later she broke down and refused to hide her emotions.
“I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament and it was a lot till a few games ago as well. I used to call my mom and cry the entire time, let it all out, because when you’re going through anxiety, you just feel numb,” Rodrigues said during the post-match press conference after India’s five-wicket win over Australia at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.
Two ducks to start with
The Mumbai girl, who started the competition with two ducks, versus Sri Lanka and South Africa, and was dropped for the England game in Indore, made a strong comeback, scoring an unbeaten 76 during India’s 53-run win over New Zealand. “During this time, my mom and dad supported me a lot. There was [teammate] Arundhati [Reddy], who I think almost every day I’ve cried in front of. There was Smriti [Mandhana] who helped me. There’s Radha [Yadav], who has always been there taking care of me. I’m so blessed to have friends I can call family, so that I did not have to go through it alone, and that it’s okay to ask for help,” she added.
‘Bible encouraged me’
Rodrigues, who has scored 268 runs in seven games so far at a strike rate of 106.34, said that reading the Bible gave her strength to keep performing. “I’m very grateful for the people who believed in me when I couldn’t and were there for me and understood me because I couldn’t do this on my own. I’m grateful to Jesus because just his presence and reading the Bible encouraged me in my tough times. And the Bible says that weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning. And today joy came, but I’m still weeping,” added Rodrigues.
The 167-run second-wicket partnership between Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (89, 10×4, 2×6) was instrumental in paving the way for the hosts to chase 339 runs in 48.3 overs. However, Rodrigues reckoned that Harmanpreet’s departure in the 36th over when the scoreboard read 226-3, brought the best out of her. “When that [Harmanpreet’s dismissal] happened, it wasn’t a blessing, but it’s like a blessing in disguise for me as I was kind of losing my focus because of my tiredness. But, when Harman got out, I think that added more responsibility as I needed to be there,” Rodrigues explained.
The promotion to No. 3
Interestingly, even after the last practice session on the eve of the semi-final on Wednesday, Rodrigues was not aware that she would be sent in at No. 3 instead of her regular No. 5. And when she eventually learnt about it, she started visualising how she shoulders the responsibility while leading the Mumbai team.
“I just thought about how I would play when I lead Mumbai. I knew I needed to be there, build a partnership with Smriti or Harman or whoever comes in. I knew how important this match was and I wanted to be there to finish it off. So, all I did was keep telling myself, ‘just stand here, amazing things can happen, just give God a chance’ and it worked,” concluded Rodrigues.
Is Jemimah the new 360° batter?
Mumbai girl Jemimah Rodrigues’s unbeaten 127 off 134 balls in the Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final, which was the centrepoint of India’s massive 339-run chase against Australia, was also a great showcase of her ability to score runs all around the ground.
India men’s T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav is known for his explosive big-hitting ability all around the park, earning him the ‘Mr 360’ tag, but Jemimah did it in a calm, measured manner with classy copy book strokes along the ground at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.
During her gritty century against the Aussies, Jemimah scored 72 runs on the off side and 55 runs on leg side, including 14 fours. Cuts and drives were her most productive shots, proven by the total of 55 runs she scored square on the off side. On the leg side, the flick shot brought her the most amount of runs (24) as well as two boundaries. She also used the sweep to good effect against the spinners.
Jemimah scored 20 runs in the ‘V’ down the ground, perfectly split into 10 on each side. She didn’t shy away from getting creative either as she unleashed the reverse sweeps and scoops to score behind the wicket in the latter stages. India’s new No. 3 batter scored 18 runs in the ‘V’ behind the stumps. Her innings included plenty of running in the form of 57 singles and seven twos as well.
Compiled by Karan Shankar