By Trisha Ghosal in Mumbai
She was once the girl people mocked, for being too active on social media, for laughing too loudly, for dancing too freely, for simply being herself. But as the sun rose over Navi Mumbai this morning, Jemimah Rodrigues etched her name in Indian cricket’s golden history, as the girl who carried India into their third Women’s ODI World Cup final.
For over a year, my colleague Snehasis and I have been advocating for Jemimah to bat at No. 3. And finally, the Indian team management saw what we saw, a pure match-winner waiting to be unleashed. But before this decision came, Jemimah had already lived a lifetime of emotions in this tournament.
Her first ODI World Cup, her dream stage, began in heartbreak. Out for a duck in her debut match, struggling to find rhythm, even her trademark sweep deserted her. In her first four innings, she had two ducks and two 30s. India, too, mirrored her inconsistency, two wins, two losses. Then came England, a must-win game. But fate was unkind. Jemimah was dropped.
Yet, she refused to let it break her. She trained harder, batted longer, smiled through the pain. And through it all, Smriti Mandhana stood by her, mentoring, comforting, reminding her of who she truly was. India lost to England, and just when the campaign looked shaky, New Zealand awaited. That’s when Jemimah returned.
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Walking in at No. 3, she was calm, almost meditative. What followed was a masterclass, an unbeaten 76 off 55 balls that powered India to 340. It was a statement. But the most defining chapter of her story was still unwritten.
The semi-final against Australia. The chase of 338. The weight of a billion hopes. Jemimah walked out like a woman possessed, fearless, fierce, focused. With every partnership, first with Smriti, then Harman, Deepti, Richa, and finally Amanjot, she anchored, she adapted, she led. She became the heartbeat of the chase, the calm amid chaos, the pivot around which the dream revolved.
And when Amanjot struck the winning runs, the dam broke. Jemimah sank to her knees, tears streaming, her teammates rushing in. The roar of DY Patil Stadium drowned everything, the trolls, the doubts, the criticism. All that remained was redemption.
It was a historic knock, a historic win, and a moment that will forever shimmer in Indian cricket’s memory. Watching it unfold from the press box, the emotion, the grit, the unfiltered joy, was beyond words. It was beautiful. It was satisfying. It was Jemimah Rodrigues, finally, fully, gloriously herself.
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