Jemimah Rodrigues reveals mental struggles, says anxiety nearly broke her before semifinal heroics
Jemimah Rodrigues revealed she battled anxiety and cried daily during the tour before her match-winning 127* helped India beat Australia to reach the ODI World Cup final. She said she didn’t know she’d bat at No.3 and dedicated the win to India, not personal milestones.
Jemimah Rodrigues played a phenomenal knock of an unbeaten 127 runs as India defeated Australia to qualify for their third ODI World Cup final. Chasing a mammoth total of 339 runs, things were complicated in the middle as Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana departed rather early. The hosts were put under enormous pressure, being reduced to 59/2, but Jemimah and captain Harmanpreet Kaur took charge of the chase and produced a historic chase at the DY Patil Cricket Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The duo stitched a partnership of 155 runs, but it never looked easy for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side. The captain played the role of an anchor initially after completing her half-century; it was a different show. She eventually departed for 89 runs off 88 balls, and since then, Jemimah took over and played the knock of her life to win the game for India.
After the game, Jemimah opened up on her topsy-turvy tournament and how difficult it was for her mentally at one stage of the tournament, but she fought the demons to play one of the best knocks of her career. Notably, she was dropped from the marquee game against England at the Holkar Stadium in Indore and her spot was never guaranteed in the playing XI.
“Everything that happened so far, was a setup for this. Last year, I was dropped from this World Cup. I was in good form. But things kept happening back-to-back, and could not control anything. I have almost cried every day through this tour. Not doing well mentally, going through anxiety. I knew I had to show up, and God took care of everything,” Jemimah said in the post-match presentation.
Jemimah on batting position
Jemimah also revealed that she wasn’t aware about her batting position as it was five minutes before entering the stadium when she was informed.
“Did not know I was batting at three. Was taking a shower, just told them to let me know. Five minutes before entering in, I was told I was batting at three. Not about me, wanted to win this match for India, and wanted to take this through. Today was not about my fifty or my hundred, about making India win,” she added.