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.
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Ex-minister Ramanath Rai hits out at BJP leader Ashoka for ‘irresponsible’ comments on KC Venugopal
Mangaluru: Congress leader and former minister B Ramanath Rai slammed BJP leader R Ashoka for calling AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal an agent of the party high command, and asked if the general secretary and other office-bearers in the BJP were commission agents too.
Rai, who addressed a press meet at the Congress office in the city on Friday, expressed fury over the recent comments of the BJP leader that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was presenting himself in a shameless manner in public life. Ashoka, who is also Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, had said that the Congress government had ‘broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies’.
“Ashoka has spoken with sheer ignorance and displays his lack of maturity, as he often does while facing the media. KC Venugopal has been working at organization of the party and it is unbecoming of Ashoka to criticize Venugopal as he did,” Rai told reporters.
“Being in a responsible position, how acceptable is it for Ashoka to pass disrespectful, random comments about another leader who also holds a responsible position? If KC Venugopal is indeed an agent of the party high command, what should we consider BJP leaders to be? Are they brokers?” he asked
Commenting on Ashoka’s allegations of corruption in the Congress government in Karnataka, Rai pointed out, “The KSRTC land was sold to private parties when he (Ashoka) was transport minister. We can find several such cases across the state, which need to be probed.”
The former minister, however, refused to comment on the incident that occurred at Mangaluru airport during CM Siddaramaiah’s visit to the city recently.
Former mayors Ashraf and Shashidhar Hegde, Congress activists Vishwas Kumar Das, Subhodaya Alva, Shabeer, Baby Kundar, Padmanabha, Nazeer Bajal and Prem were present.
