From ‘Conversion’ accusations to glory: Jemimah Rodrigues scripts her own comeback
New Delhi: In one of the most remarkable moments in Indian women’s cricket, Jemimah Rodrigues and Captain Harmanpreet Kaur scripted a historic chase to take India into the finals of the 2025 Women’s World Cup. Late on Wednesday at the DY Patil Stadium, India stunned Australia, a team unbeaten in their last 16 ODIs, chasing down a mammoth 339-run target with nine balls to spare.
Rodrigues remained unbeaten on 127, while Kaur scored a fighting 89, steering India to their first-ever successful 300-plus chase in women’s ODI history. ESPN Cricinfo called it a “rescue act”, and for good reason India were in early trouble before the duo rebuilt with grit and elegance.
As soon as the final runs were scored, social media erupted in celebration. The 25-year-old Rodrigues was hailed as “India’s pride”, and her name trended across platforms. But for many, the joy carried a hint of vindication, a reminder of how the same player had been vilified not long ago simply because of her faith.
Last year, Rodrigues had been targeted by Hindutva groups after the Khar Gymkhana, one of Mumbai’s oldest clubs, revoked her honorary membership. The move came after allegations that her father, Ivan Rodrigues, used the club premises for “religious activities”. Some members accused him of organising events aimed at “conversion” a claim that was later dismissed by the club’s president as politically motivated factionalism ahead of internal elections.
The vilification, however, took an ugly turn online. Hate-filled social media users called her names, spread falsehoods, and even issued violent threats. Her family chose silence through that storm.
Now, as Rodrigues stood at the centre of the DY Patil Stadium, her bat raised high and her eyes moist, that silence spoke louder than words. In her post-match interview, Rodrigues’s voice cracked as she said, “I want to thank Jesus – I could not do this on my own. I want to thank my mom, dad, coach and every single person who believed in me.”
She later revealed that she was supposed to bat at number five, but was pushed up the order to number three at the last minute, a decision that turned out to be game-changing.
“I was just playing and talking to myself through the innings,” she told ESPN Cricinfo. “But towards the end, I was quoting a scripture from the Bible because I had lost energy and was very tired. The verse says, ‘Just stand still, and God will fight for you.’ And that’s what I did. He fought for me.”
For a young woman once targeted for her faith, this moment was more than sporting glory, it was a quiet, powerful rebuke to the hate that tried to define her. Jemimah Rodrigues didn’t respond to her detractors on social media. She chose the bat instead which now tells her story better than words ever could.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
