Jemimah said faith and resilience shaped her innings, recalling anxiety eased by family, teammates, and faith.
Navi Mumbai
Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten century lit up the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday night as India pulled off the highest successful chase in Women’s ODI World Cup history, beating Australia to storm into Sunday’s final against South Africa.
“When I came into this World Cup, having been dropped from the last one, I didn’t want to prove a point,” Jemimah said after the semifinal. “I just wanted to make sure India wins. Because when you try to prove yourself, it never helps.”
Promoted up the batting order at the last minute, Jemimah walked in barely five minutes after stepping out of the shower — and never looked back. Her calm 100 not out anchored a record chase of 339, built around a 167-run stand with captain Harmanpreet Kaur. “When I reached 50 or 100, I didn’t celebrate,” she said. “I just thought, what will make me happier tomorrow morning — a hundred or India’s win? It was India winning.”
The innings, she said, was born out of faith and resilience. “There were days I just cried to my mom before matches. Anxiety was real. But my family, teammates, and Jesus carried me through,” she said, her voice breaking.
Having endured a poor start to the tournament, Jemimah called the semifinal knock “the most special” of her career. “It feels like everything that went wrong before was preparation for this moment,” she smiled.
As India celebrated under the Navi Mumbai night sky, Jemimah’s words summed up her journey — from self-doubt to self-belief. “Joy came this morning,” she said softly. “And I’m still weeping — but with gratitude.”
