It was a night brimming with tears, unwavering faith, and ultimate redemption for Jemimah Rodrigues. The 25-year-old batter was visibly emotional after her magnificent unbeaten knock of 127 guided India to a record-breaking ODI chase of 339 against formidable Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium.
“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. “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 disclosed a last-minute change to her batting order. “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 recounted. “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 pivotal unbeaten innings, alongside captain Harmanpreet Kaur (89), orchestrated a stunning recovery for India from 59/2, leading to the highest successful chase in Women’s World Cup history. Amanjot Kaur sealed the thrilling victory with a boundary, securing the win for India with nine balls and five wickets to spare.
“Today was not about my 50 or my 100. Today was about making India win,” Rodrigues said, her voice filled with emotion. “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 closing moments, 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 credited her teammates for their support during the crucial final phase. “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 expressed.
As chants of “Jemimah, Jemimah” resonated through the DY Patil Stadium, the Mumbai-born player thanked the enthusiastic crowd for their unwavering support. “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 concluded.
India is now set to clash with South Africa in Sunday’s final, a match that promises to crown a new Women’s World Cup champion.