Wasn't doing well mentally, had a lot of anxiety, Jemimah Rodrigues says after historic knock
Navi Mumbai: Indian cricket’s newest World Cup hero, Jemimah Rodrigues, broke down during the post-match presentation ceremony after guiding India to a historic five-wicket win over Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final on Thursday. Fighting back tears, the 25-year-old opened up about her mental health struggles, including anxiety, and how the support of her family, teammates, and faith in God helped her rediscover her strength.
Jemimah’s unbeaten 127 off 134 balls was more than a match-winning knock; it was a story of resilience and faith. “It was really hard this last month, it feels like a dream and it still has not sunk in. Last time, I was dropped from this World Cup. I was in good form. But things kept happening back-to-back and I could not control anything. I have almost cried every day through this tour," a visibly emotional Jemimah said.
Determined to speak honestly about her struggles, Jemimah said she wanted to be vulnerable because she knew others might be facing similar battles. She recalled how anxiety gripped her during the early stages of the tournament, leading to tearful phone calls to her mother. “At the start of the tournament, I was going through a lot of anxiety. I used to call my mom and cry the entire time because when you’re going through anxiety, you just feel numb,” she shared. Having started the campaign with a string of low scores and even being dropped for the match against England, Jemimah admitted that her confidence took a major hit. But she credited her faith, family, and close friends for helping her fight through that dark phase.
During her innings on Thursday, Jemimah constantly motivated herself, engaging in self-talk to stay composed. She later revealed that in the tense final moments, she recited a verse from the Bible to maintain her focus.
“I think initially I was just trying to stay focussed, I just keep talking to myself. But towards the end I was just quoting one scripture from the Bible. Because I had lost energy, I was very tired. I was drained and one scripture that said, "just stand still and God will fight for you". And that's what I did. And I just stood there and he fought for me,” she said, with tears rolling down her cheeks.
She also explained that she didn’t celebrate her century because her focus remained firmly on taking India home. "Today was not about my 50 or my 100. Today was about making India win. I know I got a few chances, but I just feel like God has given everything at the right time and he grew it into the right intention, pure intention. And I just feel everything has happened so far just to sit up for this. You make your own luck," she said after winning the Player of the Match in the big-ticket semi-final.
The star player further spoke about the support she received from her teammates, saying that towards the end she tried to push herself but could barely manage to continue. "Deepti spoke to me every ball and kept encouraging me. Richa came and lifted me up. When I cannot carry on, my teammates can encourage me. Cannot take credit for anything, I did not do anything (on my own)," added Jemimah.
The ICC shared a five-minute video of Jemimah’s emotional interview on social media, captioned: “A teary Jemimah Rodrigues describes what it means to take India through to the #CWC25 final.” Fans flooded the comments with praise for her openness about mental health. One user wrote, “What a courageous lady! She could have shown her winner’s side, but she chose to show her vulnerable side. The battles she fought in her head. So much honesty. What a role model!”
India’s record-breaking victory over Australia not only sealed their spot in the final but also ignited hopes of a maiden ODI World Cup title. The Women in Blue will face South Africa in the final on November 2 in Navi Mumbai.
View this post on Instagram
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka issues nutrition advisory for govt events; recommends millets, healthier options
_vb_61.jpeg)
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday issued a nutrition advisory recommending healthier food and beverage options at meetings, functions, and other official gatherings held in the state.
The advisory has been issued by the Department of Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services to promote healthy dietary and nutritional habits among officials and staff, noting that food, refreshments and beverages served in government offices and official programmes are "often not aligned with nutrition standards."
The advisory recommends serving snacks such as millet-based, low-fat and low-sugar foods, fresh fruits, vegetable salads, sprouts, roasted nuts and seeds during in-house office meetings and breaks.
Beverages such as green tea, low-fat buttermilk, and locally filtered or boiled water served in glass bottles or steel flasks have also been suggested.
According to the advisory, for larger government events, conferences and exhibitions, departments have been advised to include at least one millet-based item during snacks and a minimum of two millet dishes in meals, along with local cuisine and at least one regional recipe.
It also recommends the use of brown rice instead of white rice, freshly prepared vegetable salads, and fresh fruits or low-sugar fruit juices.
If non-vegetarian food is served, it should consist of well-cooked lean or white meat, the advisory stated.
In eateries operating within government office campuses, the department has recommended millet-based foods, fresh vegetable salads, boiled pulses such as horse gram or chickpeas, and low-fat beverages.
It suggests serving food using reusable metal plates and glasses.
The advisory also recommends avoiding microwave-heated food, industrially processed food, fried snacks, high-fat or heavily spiced dishes, carbonated drinks, high-sugar fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages.
It further discourages serving milk-based tea or coffee and plastic-bottled water during official events.
“Overall, hygiene and cleanliness should be maintained while serving food and water. Local cottage industries, self-help groups, prison kitchens, nutri-gardens and others should be preferred for placing food and beverage orders,” the advisory added.
_vb_54.jpeg)
_vb_07.jpeg)
_vb_34.jpeg)