Jemimah Rodrigues reacts after winning the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final. (PTI Photo)
NAVI MUMBAI: Soon after she played the innings of her life — a brilliant unbeaten 127 off 134 balls — to script India’s five-wicket win over giants Australia in the semifinals of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday night, Jemimah Rodrigues, overwhelmed by emotion, broke down several times during the post-match press conference.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The 25-year-old Bandra girl opened up on the mental battle she had faced over the past month, revealing she had been suffering from severe anxiety leading up to her maiden World Cup century. She said people who suffer from severe anxiety issues should not be afraid to ask for help.Describing a period in her life that left her “numb” and often in tears, Jemimah said she hoped her story will help others with similar struggles.“I’ll be very vulnerable here because if someone watching this is going through the same thing, that’s my whole purpose of saying it. Nobody likes to talk about their weakness. I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament,” she said, pausing repeatedly as tears welled up.
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She thanked a few of her teammates for standing by her during that phase. “It (anxiety) was a lot. Before a few games, I used to call my mom and cry the whole time, just to let it out. When you’re going through anxiety, you just feel numb. You don’t know what to do, you’re just trying to be yourself. My mum and dad supported me a lot. And there was Arundhati (Reddy) — I think I’ve cried in front of her almost every day. Later, I joked, ‘Don’t come near me or I’ll start crying!’ But she checked on me every single day.,“Smriti (Mandhana) helped me too. She knew what I was going through. A few net sessions, she would just stand there. Even yesterday, she came and just stood there because she knew her presence meant a lot to me. Then there’s Radha (Yadav), who’s always been there taking care of me. I’m so blessed to have friends I can call family. It’s okay to ask for help.”
Jemimah Rodrigues, right, celebrates after winning the World Cup semifinal against Australia. (AP photo)
Playing her first ODI World Cup, Jemimah began the tournament with modest scores of 0, 32, 0 and 33. Things worsened when she was dropped for the match against England in Indore, as India opted for an extra bowler.“That really hit me. When you’re dropped, you have a lot of doubts. I always wanted to contribute to the team, but that day I couldn’t do much sitting out. When I came back, the pressure was even greater,” she said.Returning to the XI for the crucial league match against New Zealand at DY Patil, Jemimah struck an unbeaten 76 off 55 balls to guide India to victory — and rediscovered her rhythm.“My family went through a lot, but they stood by me and believed in me when I couldn’t. Sometimes all you need to do is hang in there and things fall into place. I’m very grateful to those who believed in me and understood me, because I couldn’t have done this alone.”During her century in the semifinal, Jemimah was often seen dropping to her knees — moments she said were silent prayers.“I was praying. I was talking to myself because I’d lost a lot of energy and was feeling very tired. Because of that, I played a few loose shots — it was a tricky phase. I was wondering, ‘Should I go for it now? Or take it deep?’ The learning was to stay there. Towards the end, we could always take it deep,” she said.“I was talking to God because I feel I have a personal relationship with Him. When I can’t carry myself, He always carries me.”Jemimah was dropped twice — on 82 and 106 — but never lost focus, anchoring India’s record chase of 339. Batting at No.3, she came in after just nine balls and stayed till the end.“How do I rate this innings? Honestly, I haven’t let it sink in. I didn’t play for my hundred, or to prove a point at No.3. I just played to make sure India won. That was my only motivation. When you play for the team, not yourself, I think God also favors you,” she said, smiling through tears.Rodrigues revealed that during the team meeting on the eve of the semifinal, she had declared her goal — to finish the game.“We were discussing what we could do better, and I said, ‘I want to be there till the end and finish the game.’ Whether batting first or chasing, I knew if I stayed, we’d get those extra 20–30 runs because I run well and find unusual gaps. If we were chasing, I wanted to make sure I took the team through. The last month wasn’t easy, but it just felt like everything was a setup for this moment.”Even after India lost both openers early, Jemimah revived the chase with a 167-run stand with Harmanpreet Kaur (89). When Harman fell in the 36th over, the pressure intensified.“I was telling Harry di (Harmanpreet) that we both had to finish it. When she got out, it was almost a blessing in disguise — I was losing focus from tiredness, but her dismissal added responsibility. I told myself, ‘Okay, she’s out, I’ll score for her.’ That got me back into the right zone,” she said. Jemimah said India were not daunted by the mammoth target. “We knew we’d done it against this team before. I felt with the way Australia started, they were 30 runs short. DY Patil is such a pitch — any score is chaseable. My thought process was simple: I just had to be there.”
