By Admin 
For nearly a decade, Jemimah Rodrigues’ life as an Indian cricket star has been marked by an interesting duality – that of a classical batter shaped by Mumbai’s rich legacy and a social media darling strumming her guitar between matches.
But amid the T20 World Cups, franchise contracts, and viral reels, one dream remained unfulfilled. Jemimah has represented India in four T20 World events, thrilling audiences with her silken cover drives and late-innings composure. Yet, the 50-over showpiece — still the most coveted stage in the women’s game, just like for men cricketers — has always eluded her.
The upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup– returning to India after 12 years – will finally change that.
“This is my first ODI World Cup,” she said with a smile that reveals excitement and relief in equal parts. “I think the wait makes it special.”
It is a wait that stretches back to a particular night in 2011.
On April 2, virtually every Indian household soaked in the celebrations of a 28-year itch being finally over. The whole country erupted as Mahendra Singh Dhoni lofted a six into the stands at the iconic Wankhede Stadium to seal India’s World Cup triumph. But Jemimah – then all but 10 years of age – has a different lasting memory from the day.
Her family’s Bandra home stands a cricket ball’s distance from Sachin Tendulkar’s residence.
“When Sachin sir returned, the road outside our house was jam-packed,” she recalled. It would have taken the car more than an hour to cross the last 100 metres to his residence.
“His car could barely move. It showed me what a World Cup means in India.”
Six years later, a 16-year-old Jemimah was part of a group of promising youngsters from the Mumbai Cricket Association who were asked to welcome the Indian women’s team at the Mumbai Airport.
Jemimah Rodrigues in action against Australia in the opening match of the recent ODI series.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
The side was headed back after a historic campaign where it sent defending champion Australia home in the semifinals, riding on Harmanpreet Kaur’s now legendary unbeaten 171. The side narrowly missed out on clinching its first world title, falling to England in the final.
By then, Jemimah had heard of the women’s cricket team virtually going unnoticed at airports all over the country. But 2017 was different.
Harmanpreet’s heroics had captured the nation’s attention. Suddenly, the side was all over the news, despite missing out on the trophy by a whisker.
“The airport was packed,” Jemimah remembered. “That’s when I knew women’s cricket had truly arrived.”
Those two nights — one in 2011, another in 2017 — bookend the spark that turned a game she enjoyed into a calling she could not ignore.
Early highs and a painful low
From there, Jemimah’s rise was inevitable.
While her easy charm made her a natural favourite with fans, Mumbai’s maidans toughened her strokeplay and temperament. By 18, she was a regular in India’s T20I side.
However, underwhelming returns in the ODI format meant she was dropped from ODIs in 2021. Her omission then for the World Cup the next year wasn’t entirely unexpected. That didn’t mean it hurt any less.
“That was the worst moment of my career,” she admitted. “But looking back, it’s one of the best things that happened to me. Every setback is a set-up for a greater comeback.”
The weeks that followed were a test of resolve. Jemimah took a mental break, wept through lonely nights, and then returned to the grind with her father Ivan and long-time coach Prashant Shetty.
They devised a training routine designed to make her uncomfortable: early-morning sessions on damp Azad Maidan pitches where the ball skidded, followed by afternoon matches on square turners against high-quality Mumbai boys’ teams. Some days she faced under-12 prodigies, other days under-19 quicks. The goal was simple — to force adaptability.
“When you can bat on those tracks,” she said, “international cricket feels easier.”
Jemimah Rodrigues.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
The work paid off. A more complete batter emerged, one capable of anchoring a chase as well as clearing the infield. In the 18 months since that disappointment, Jemimah has become the fulcrum of India’s middle-order and a prized recruit in leagues from The Hundred to the Women’s Premier League.
Fitness, faith, and reinvention
Jemimah has prioritised fitness just as much or more than she reveres technique.
“You can have the skill, but you need the stamina to last — especially in a 50-over game,” she explained. Her regimen is designed to keep her sharp, no matter the stage of the game or the number of balls faced.
Her recent signing with Red Bull opened up another dimension towards that end, with Jemimah gaining access to elite training facilities in Austria.
“It’s more than a sponsorship,” she noted. “They are helping me reach my highest potential.”
A devout Christian, Jemimah leans on spirituality to steady the mind during cricket’s inevitable swings. “When things are shaking around me, I know Jesus is the rock that holds me steady,” she says softly. “Even when it looks bad, something good is going to happen.”
It is this blend of physical preparation and inner calm that has allowed her to balance two public identities: the cricketer and the entertainer.
Torch-bearer
For purists, Jemimah represents more than just youthful flair. Her textbook cover drive perfectly draws from Mumbai’s grand batting lineage — from Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar, and Sachin Tendulkar to Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal. In the women’s game, she is the torch-bearer of that tradition, a reminder that classical technique still has a place in the era of franchise fireworks.
That heritage adds an extra layer of meaning to her first ODI World Cup. The 2025 edition will be staged in India, offering the rare chance to perform in front of family, friends, and the very maidans that shaped her game. “A World Cup at home is every cricketer’s dream,” she said. “To finally be part of it is something I have prayed for.”
Her role will be pivotal. India’s middle order has often lacked consistency in recent tournaments, and Jemimah’s ability to both drop anchor and switch gears makes her the ideal bridge between the strokemakers up top and the finishers below. A successful campaign could cement her status as one of the most complete batters of her generation.
As the World Cup approaches, Jemimah remains characteristically upbeat — chatty in press conferences and mischievous with teammates, with the guitar always within reach. But beneath the bubbly exterior is a competitor hardened by adversity, someone who understands how quickly fortunes can change.
The girl who once squeezed through a crowd to catch a glimpse of Tendulkar on a magical April night now stands at the cusp of her own World Cup moment. The years of waiting, the heartbreak of 2022, the lonely hours on unforgiving maidans — all of it leads to this tournament.
“I want to be the same at the end of the 300th ball as I am at the first,” she added, a line that could serve as both a fitness mantra and a metaphor for her career.
Steady, unrelenting, and finally where she belongs.