India pulled off a record run chase to stun defending champions Australia by 5 wickets at DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, October 30. Jemimah Rodrigues played a breathtaking unbeaten knock of 127 runs in front of home crowd and helped the team across the finish line.
During the post match presentation, Jemimah opened up about her emotional struggles and credited her faith in God for helping her endure the difficult period. She said, "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. Initially, I was just playing and I keep talking to myself. Towards the end, I was just quoting a scripture from the Bible - to just stand still and that God will fight for me. I just stood there and he fought for me."
Jemimah credits teammates for her knock
When Harmanpreet Kaur arrived at the crease, the two built build a strong partnership to set India for the record chase. Later, when exhaustion set in, Jemimah found strength in her teammates. Deepti Sharma, especially, spoke to her before every delivery, keeping her focused and calm.
She added, "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. Deepti spoke to me every ball and kept encouraging me. When I cannot carry on, my teammates can encourage me. Cannot take credit for anything, I did not do anything (on my own). (On the crowd) Each and every member who chanted, cheered and believed, and for every run they were cheering, that pumped me up."
Jemimah Rodrigues plays record breaking knock
India brought down Australia's eight years domination with Rodrigues becoming the second Indian to score a century in the Women's ODI World Cup semi-finals.
She joined her skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who slammed a record 171* against the same opponents (Australia) in the 2017 semi-final . India won that match after scoring 281/4 in a 42-over affair. Australia were restricted to 245.
