It was a night woven with raw emotion, unwavering faith, and a triumphant return to form for Jemimah Rodrigues. The 25-year-old batter was visibly overcome as her magnificent unbeaten 127 propelled India to a historic ODI chase of 339 against Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium this Thursday.
“Firstly, I want to thank Jesus, because I couldn’t do this on my own. I know he carried me through today,” an emotional Jemimah shared after being celebrated as Player of the Match. Her voice tinged with gratitude, she continued, “I want to thank my mom, my dad, my coach, and every single person who just believed in me throughout this time. It was really hard these last four months, but it just feels like a dream and it’s not sunk in yet.”
Rodrigues recounted the surprising moment she learned of her batting position. “I actually did not bat at three. I was still at five while taking a shower. And when the discussion was happening, I just told them, let me know. So just before entering in, I got to know I’m batting at three,” she revealed. For her, it wasn’t about personal glory. “But it was not for me to prove a point. It was just for me to win this match for India because we’ve always lost in certain situations. And I just wanted to be there to take us through.”
Her monumental effort, combined with a crucial partnership with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (89), allowed India to rise from a challenging 59/2. This remarkable recovery culminated in the highest successful chase in Women’s World Cup history. Amanjot Kaur then struck the winning boundary, sealing India’s victory with nine balls and five wickets remaining.
“Today was not about my 50 or my 100. Today was about making India win,” Rodrigues confessed, her voice thick with emotion. She spoke candidly about her recent struggles: “I was not doing well mentally, going through a lot of anxiety. Then being dropped was rather a challenge for me. But I think all I had to do was show up and God just took care of everything.”
Reflecting on the tense final moments of the game, she added, “I was very tired. I just kept quoting one scripture from the Bible that said, ‘Just stand still and God will fight for you’. And I just stood there, and He fought for me.”
Rodrigues humbly acknowledged her teammates, who provided crucial support during the demanding final stages. “When Harman di came, all we spoke was about one partnership. Richa, Deepti, Amanjot — everyone was encouraging me when I felt I couldn’t carry on. I can’t take credit for anything of this. I know I have done nothing,” she asserted.
As fervent chants of “Jemimah, Jemimah” echoed through the DY Patil Stadium, the Mumbai-born player expressed heartfelt thanks to the crowd. “Navi Mumbai has always been special to me. I would like to thank each and every member who chanted, who shouted, who believed, who cheered. When I was down and out, every run they cheered for pumped me up,” she said.
India is now set to clash with South Africa in Sunday’s much-anticipated final, a match guaranteed to crown a new Women’s World Cup champion.