New Delhi: “Stand still, God will fight for you. Stand still, God will fight for you…”
If you too wondered what Jemimah Rodrigues kept muttering to herself after she walked out to bat in the semi-final, that’s your answer.
For many, it’s faith in themselves, for the rest, it is faith in a higher power that helps them navigate the tough times. On Thursday night, as India created history against Australia – completing a record chase and qualifying for the final, Jemimah did both with her unbeaten 127 off 134.
In what was admittedly a tough tournament for her, Jemimah had a tumultuous journey. Her first World Cup was far from rainbows and butterflies… she was in the thick of it. Two ducks and a few underwhelming performances in, she was dropped against England. And besides the professional challenges, she was also not doing too well mentally.
“Last time (2022), 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 was crying almost everyday throughout the tour. I was not doing well mentally…going through a lot of anxiety. Then being dropped was another challenge. But all I had to do was show up and God took care of everything,” a teary-eyed Jemimah told broadcasters.
Jemimah usually bats at 5, despite demands from outside to make her bat higher up and let her face more balls, came in to bat at three today. Pratika Rawal’s absence and Shafali Verma’s addition in the Playing XI meant India had to tinker with a batting line-up they had otherwise been reluctant to play around with. It also meant it needed solidity like Jemimah’s, especially after Verma (10) and Smriti Mandhana (24) walking back early in a chase of 329.
“I 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. ,” said Jemimah. “But today was not about me, I just wanted to win this match for India, and wanted to take this through (having lost crunch matches before). Today was not about my fifty or my hundred, it was about making India win. Everything that happened so far was a setup for this.”
To combat Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry’s contributions in that mammoth total, India needed one of their star batters to stand firm. Alongside Jemimah, there was captain Harmanpreet Kaur (89) and the duo anchored the innings with a massive 167-run partnership.
“When Harry di came, it was all about one good partnership. Towards the end, I was trying to push myself but was not able to. I asked Deepti (Sharma) to keep talking to me. She spoke to me every ball and kept encouraging me. Richa (Ghosh) came in and lifted me. When I cannot carry on, my teammates can encourage me. Cannot take credit for anything, I did not do anything (on my own).”
As India soaks in the emotions after the five-wicket win in a semi-final epic over Australia, Rodrigues may be humble about her memorable contributions but at 25, in her first World Cup, she has done what she once dreamed of doing and the bragging rights for that will be hers forever.
