On a humid Navi Mumbai evening, when Jemimah Rodrigues sank to her knees after guiding India into the ICC Women’s World Cup final, it wasn’t just the emotion that overwhelmed her, it was relief. The smile on her face and the tears that followed were not just for the epic unbeaten 127 that she scored to knock out defending champions Australia, but for every silent battle she had fought in the weeks leading up to the marquee tournament.
Dropped from the last edition of the ODI World Cup, Jemimah worked tirelessly over the next three years to deservingly earn a call-up in the 2025 World Cup squad. But after a few inconsistent outings in this edition, she found herself benched again, a moment that spiralled into anxiety, self-doubt, fear of failure and sleepless nights.
Yet, with unwavering support from family, friends and teammates, the 25-year-old found shoulders to lean on. And when she struck a match-winning century in the crunch semifinal, it told a quiet story of courage, one where vulnerability met resilience and where the simple act of asking for help became her greatest strength.
For Jemimah, the semifinal against Australia wasn’t just about fifties or hundreds, it was about redemption.
The Mumbai youngster opened up after the match about the emotional turmoil she endured through the tournament, a rare, honest reflection from a player who has often worn her heart on her sleeve. “I’ll be very vulnerable here because I know if someone is watching this, might be going through the same thing and that’s my whole purpose of saying it because nobody likes to talk about their weakness,” she said.
“I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament and it was a lot before few games also I used to call my mum and cry, cry the entire time, let it all out, because when you’re going through anxiety, you just feel numb.
“You don’t know what to do. You’re trying to be yourself. And also in this time, my mum and my dad, they supported me a lot,” she added.
Rodrigues spoke of her close friends and teammates who became her lifeline. “And also, there was Arundhati (Reddy) who I think almost every day I’ve cried in front – almost every day I’ve cried in front of her. Later, I was joking, I said, you don’t come in front of me, I’ll start crying.”
“But she checked on me every single day. And there was Smriti (Mandhana) who helped me. She also knew what I was going through. A few of the net sessions, she was just standing there. Even yesterday she came. She just stood there just because – didn’t say much, but she just knows that her presence is important for me.
“There’s been Radha (Yadav) who’s always been there taking care of me. I’m so blessed to have friends I can call family, that I didn’t have to go through it alone and it’s OK to ask for help,” she said.
“And that’s what happened. And my mum also, she’s as emotional as I am, but she went through a lot. My family went through a lot. But everyone stood by me and believed in me when I didn’t, when I couldn’t,” she added.
The right-hander’s form had dipped earlier in the competition, with scores of zero, 32, zero and 33. Being left out for the England clash only deepened her doubts.
“It started with the anxiety thing. Then I was dropped from the team and that really hit me,” Rodrigues continued.
“When you’re dropped, you have a lot of doubts because I always want to contribute to the team. But that day I couldn’t do much sitting out. And then when you come back in, it’s a lot more pressure with everything that was happening in the past month.
“But sometimes all you need to do is just hang in there and things fall into place. So 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,” said an emotional Jemimah.
On Thursday, Jemimah, usually a No.5 batter, was mentally prepared to be promoted to No.3, although she was officially informed about it five minutes before she walked out. From there, she never looked back, and ensured India stayed alive to battle for the title clash against South Africa at the same venue on Sunday.
“This knock is very special for me because of everything I went through,” she said.
“Just to come out here, do it in front of my family, do it in front of my team, do it for the team, do it in front of my people – Navi Mumbai, for the crowd. I think it was, it would be so far my best knock.
“But I am saving one more for the final,” she vowed before signing off.