Olympian and former India hockey coach Joaquim Carvalho has seen India’s latest batting sensation Jemimah Rodrigues wield her hockey stick during her school days, when she represented St Joseph’s High School, Bandra, at the MSSA inter-school competition. She later went on to represent Maharashtra in U-17 hockey before eventually switching to cricket. However, Carvalho, even today vouches for her hockey skills.
Jemimah’s early hockey days
“Jemimah used to come to the St Stanislaus ground [in Bandra] as an eight or nine-year-old to practice hockey and back then I had told her father [Ivan] that if she sticks to hockey, she can play for the country. Of course, she chose cricket and she’s excelling there too, but I saw her playing rink hockey not too long ago and she was very skilful with her dodges. And yesterday [Thursday], her century in those energy-sapping conditions, proves that her fitness is top-notch. Given modern hockey needs skill and fitness, I have no doubt that she can walk into the Indian women’s hockey team currently,” Carvalho told mid-day, a day after Rodrigues’s 127 not out helped India beat the mighty Australians in the Women’s World Cup semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium. Carvalho was referring to the time when Rodrigues turned up to play rink hockey for Uncle’s Kitchen United at the Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana tournament after being dropped from the India squad for the 2022 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand.
Rink hockey stint in 2022
Ronnie D’Souza, owner of UK United, revealed how Rodrigues joined his team. “Adrian D’Souza [former India hockey goalkeeper] was the coach of our women’s team and Jemimah got in touch with some of her St Joseph’s [Bandra] friends, expressing her desire to play. She was an absolute professional. She was a big name in Indian cricket even then, but there were no tantrums. Instead, she was highly disciplined and willingly travelled from Bandra to Malad for our practice sessions. She would reach early and be among the last players to leave. In our first match, I remember, she scored two goals inside 60 seconds and then converted a penalty stroke to complete her hat-trick. She then set up teammate Vasudha Shetty with a neat pass in front of goal to complete the tally as our team beat Sea View 4-2,” D’Souza told mid-day.
Olympian Joaquim Carvalho, Olympian Mervyn Fernandis and UK United’s Ronnie D’Souza
Olympian Mervyn Fernandis was also among the dignitaries, who watched Rodrigues play at the WCG rink hockey. “I always felt Jemimah is a natural with the hockey stick, but watching her 127 against Australia on Thursday, I have no doubt that she’s equally flawless with the cricket bat too. The best thing about her is that she enjoys herself out there, whatever the sport. When she was playing rink hockey, she was so passionate and excited while scoring those goals and even encouraging her teammates throughout. Similarly, on Thursday, she was constantly talking to herself and giving her partners the thumbs-up after every run,” said Fernandis.
Meanwhile, UK United owner D’Souza, a restaurateur, is waiting for Rodrigues to win the World Cup as her father has promised him a gift: “I had told Jemimah and her father in 2022 that she would make a comeback to the Indian cricket team and would not just play, but also win the next World Cup. And when that happens, she should give me an autographed India jersey, which I will proudly display in my restaurant. Her father replied with ‘Amen’ [a Hebrew word meaning so be it]. Right enough, after the 2022 World Cup, she was picked for India again and I’m sure she will win the World Cup on Sunday.”
