In the wake of the Women’s World Cup final, veteran Indian pacer Shikha Pandey has bravely come to the defense of young batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who became the target of intense online trolling. Rodrigues, a standout performer for India throughout the tournament, found herself embroiled in an unwelcome controversy following her heartfelt comments during the semi-final’s post-match presentation.
After her spectacular, unbeaten 127-run performance that secured India’s spot in the final against Australia, Jemimah openly attributed her success to her faith, expressing gratitude to Jesus for her guidance. While her remarks were sincere, they unfortunately sparked a mixed response online. The online harassment only escalated when she didn’t manage a high score in the final match against South Africa, despite India triumphing by 52 runs and clinching their historic first Women’s World Cup trophy.
Witnessing the barrage of hateful messages, Shikha Pandey felt compelled to intervene. The seasoned pacer, a teammate of Rodrigues both for India and in the Delhi Capitals squad for the Women’s Premier League, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to deliver a powerful yet dignified message. She unequivocally stated, ‘Just putting this out for anyone who needs to hear the obvious — yes, Jemi is God’s favourite child and if you are envious… umm… sorry, no one can help you.’
During the World Cup final against Laura Wolvaardt’s South Africa, Jemimah, while not repeating her semi-final batting masterclass with 24 runs off 37 balls, proved her immense value elsewhere. Her phenomenal fielding performance, characterized by relentless effort, boundary-saving dives, and crucial run-stops, was instrumental in securing India’s decisive victory and the coveted trophy.