It was a night of tears, faith and liberation jemima rodriguesThe 25-year-old batsman broke down in tears as her unbeaten 127-run knock helped India achieve the record target of 339 runs in ODIs against Australia in the Women's World Cup semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.“First of all, I want to thank Jesus, because I couldn't have done it on my own. I know He carried me through today,” an emotional Jemima said after being named player of the match. “I want to thank my mom, my dad, my coaches and every single person who believed in me during this time. The last four months were really hard, but it just feels like a dream and it's not over yet.”Rodrigues revealed that she had learned only moments before going out that she would bat at number 3. She said, “Actually I didn't bat at number three. I was still at number five while taking a bath. And when the discussion was going on, I told them, let me know. So just before entering, I came to know that I was batting at number three.” “But it was not about me to prove a point. It was about me to win this match for India because we always lose in certain circumstances. And I just wanted to be there to take us forward.”His unbeaten innings in partnership with the captain Harmanpreet Kaur (89) saw India recover from 59/2 to achieve the most successful chase in Women's World Cup history. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning four as India won with nine balls and five wickets remaining.“Today was not about my 50 or my 100. Today was about making India win,” Rodrigues said, his voice cracking. “I was not performing well mentally, going through a lot of anxiety. Then being dropped was a challenge for me. But I guess I just had to perform well and God took care of everything.”Talking about the closing moments she said, “I was very tired. I just kept quoting a scripture from the Bible that said, 'Just stand firm and God will fight for you.' And I stood there, and he fought for me.”Rodriguez credited his teammates for taking him to the final stage. “When Harman Di came, we only talked about a partnership. Richa, Deepti, Amanjot – everyone was encouraging me when I felt I couldn't carry on. I can't take credit for it. I know I haven't done anything,” she said.As chants of “Jemima, Jemima” rang out at the DY Patil night, the Mumbai girl thanked the crowd for lifting her up every moment. She said, “Navi Mumbai has always been special to me. I would like to thank every member who chanted, who shouted, who believed, who encouraged. When I was down and out, every run they cheered for cheered me up.”India will now face South Africa in the final on Sunday, a clash that will produce a new Women's World Cup champion.
Leave a Reply