Jemimah Rodrigues played a knock for the ages as India chased down a record 339-run target against defending champions Australia to enter the Women’s World Cup final. In one of the most memorable matches of her career, Rodrigues hammered an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls (14x4s) and shared a 167-run partnership with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (89) as India reached 341/5 in 48.3 overs to overcome Australia’s 338 all out in the second semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Jemimah reached her maiden World Cup hundred off 115 balls, studded with 10 boundaries – a brilliant knock by a player who had failed to score much in her first three matches and was dropped for one game. That she came back strongly to score a hundred in the semi-final of the World Cup against the defending champions speaks volumes about the class of the Mumbai batter.
“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. It was really hard this last month, it feels like a dream and it still hasn’t sunk in,” Jemimah said after the win.
Jemimah was also asked about batting at No. 3. “I didn’t know I was batting at three. I was taking a shower and just told them to let me know. Five minutes before walking in, I was told I was batting at three. It’s not about me-I wanted to win this match for India and take it through, having lost crunch matches before. Today wasn’t about my fifty or my hundred, it was about making India win,” she said.
“Everything that happened so far was a setup for this. Things kept happening back-to-back, and I couldn’t control anything. I’ve cried almost every day through this tour. I wasn’t doing well mentally, going through anxiety.”
She’s can’t hold herself, chin up our new and real queen.🤍#INDWvsAUSW #WomensWorldCup2025 pic.twitter.com/7adulee70q
— U’ (@toxifyy18) October 30, 2025
She added that the Almighty took care of everything.
“I knew I had to show up, and God took care of everything. Initially, I was just playing and kept talking to myself. Towards the end, I was just quoting a scripture from the Bible – to just stand still and that God will fight for me. I just stood there, and He fought for me,” she said.
“A lot inside me was left, but I was trying to stay calm. Seeing India win by five wickets, I couldn’t stop myself. When Harry di came, it was all about one good partnership. Towards the end, I was trying to push myself but wasn’t able to. Deepti spoke to me every ball and kept encouraging me. When I couldn’t carry on, my teammates encouraged me. I can’t take credit for anything-I didn’t do anything on my own. (On the crowd) Each and every member who chanted, cheered, and believed-for every run they were cheering-that pumped me up.”