India beat Australia to reach for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s ODI world cup final against South Africa.
The victory of India is undoubtedly the tireless team effort, however, the performance of Jemimah, an all-rounder, scripted a fairytale, battling personal demons and a formidable Australian attack to guide India into the final of the Women’s World Cup with an unbeaten 127.
The victory was sealed in the dressing room with emotional celebrations and tears of joy and was a testament to one player’s resilience in the face of intense mental health struggle.
Rodrigues’ innings was the cornerstone of India's successful chase of 339, overcoming the seven-time champion Australia with five wickets and nine balls to spare.
But, the story behind the stellar numbers is of profound vulnerability and ultimate strength.
In the post-match conference, Rodrigues opened up about the extreme anxiety she fought with throughout the tournament.
Visibly emotional, she stated, “I will be very vulnerable here because I know if someone is watching, this might be going through the same thing.”
“I was going through a lot of anxiety at the starting of the tournament… I used to call my mom and cry the entire time,” she added.
She was so overwhelmed emotionally that she became “numb” and thanked her family and teammates mentioning Arundhati Reddy, Smriti Mandhana, and Radha Yadav calling them her “support system.”
“I am so blessed to have friends, I can call family, that I didn’t have to go through it alone,” she added.
Emphasizing on getting support she sent a powerful message, “It's okay to ask for help.”
She also shared that her anxiety peaked when she was dropped for the match against England stating, “That really hit me.”
“When you're dropped, you have a lot of doubts.. But sometimes all you need to do is just hang in there,” she shared.
Due to her remarkable performance, the 25-year-old received the Players of the Match award.
“Today was not about my 50 or my 100, today was about making India win,” Rodrigues reflected.
She also drew strength from her faith stating, “I had lost energy, I was very tired. I was doing one scripture that said, just stand still and God will fight for you. And I just stood there and he fought for me.”
For Jemimah Rodrigues, this was more than a century; it was a triumph of human spirit, a victory forged in vulnerability and sealed with unwavering belief.