It was a night of tears, faith, and redemption for Jemimah Rodrigues. The 25-year-old batter broke down after her unbeaten 127 helped India script a record ODI chase of 339 against Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.“Firstly, I want to thank Jesus, because I couldn’t do this on my own. I know he carried me through today,” an emotional Jemimah said after being named Player of the Match. “I want to thank my mom, my dad, my coach, and every single person who just believed in me throughout this time. It was really hard these last four months, but it just feels like a dream and it’s not sunk in yet.”Rodrigues revealed that she got to know she would bat at No.3 only moments before walking out. “I actually did not bat at three. I was still at five while taking a shower. And when the discussion was happening, I just told them, let me know. So just before entering in, I got to know I’m batting at three,” she said. “But it was not for me to prove a point. It was just for me to win this match for India because we’ve always lost in certain situations. And I just wanted to be there to take us through.”Her unbeaten knock, in partnership with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (89), saw India recover from 59/2 to pull off the highest successful chase in Women’s World Cup history. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary as India sealed victory with nine balls and five wickets to spare.“Today was not about my 50 or my 100. Today was about making India win,” Rodrigues said, her voice cracking. “I was not doing well mentally, going through a lot of anxiety. Then being dropped was rather a challenge for me. But I think all I had to do was show up and God just took care of everything.”Talking about the closing moments, she added, “I was very tired. I just kept quoting one scripture from the Bible that said, ‘Just stand still and God will fight for you’. And I just stood there, and He fought for me.”Rodrigues credited her teammates for carrying her through the final phase. “When Harman di came, all we spoke was about one partnership. Richa, Deepti, Amanjot — everyone was encouraging me when I felt I couldn’t carry on. I can’t take credit for anything of this. I know I have done nothing,” she said.As chants of “Jemimah, Jemimah” filled the DY Patil night, the Mumbai girl thanked the crowd for lifting her through every moment. “Navi Mumbai has always been special to me. I would like to thank each and every member who chanted, who shouted, who believed, who cheered. When I was down and out, every run they cheered for pumped me up,” she said.India will now face South Africa in Sunday’s final, a clash that will produce a new Women’s World Cup champion.
