Jemimah Rodrigues’ 127* in the Women’s World Cup semifinal against Australia has the potential to be remembered as one of the greatest tournament knocks by any Indian player, putting the hosts in the World Cup final as she guided the team home in a record 339-run chase. Batting at number 3 instead of her usual position lower down the order, Jemimah showed plenty of spirit to act as the backbone for a special chase and remain unbeaten right to the end.
As a result, the Indian team management and coach Amol Muzumdar have received criticism from some quarters for their decision to dropped Jemimah from the team earlier in this tournament, already having left her out of the squad for the 2022 World Cup. Rodrigues was benched during India’s loss to England in favour of an extra bowler, but this came back to hurt the team as they fumbled a relatively straightforward chase at the death.
However, it was also seen as a decision that might have helped Jemimah find motivation, with the batter having found her footing with two sensational innings upon her return to the team, playing two very different roles.
‘As a coach, you need to identify…’
Speaking on Star Sports, Varun Aaron credited Muzumdar for realising that such a decision might serve Jemimah better in the long run, and have prompted such an innings from her given her capabilities.
"Great move by Amol Muzumdar because sometimes, as a coach, you need to identify who are these players who just need that little needle, who just need that little poke to ignite that fire, and that's what he did with Jemi," said Aaron.
{{/usCountry}}"Great move by Amol Muzumdar because sometimes, as a coach, you need to identify who are these players who just need that little needle, who just need that little poke to ignite that fire, and that's what he did with Jemi," said Aaron.
{{/usCountry}}Rodrigues would return against New Zealand with a quickfire 76* coming in after Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal’s giant partnership to finish the innings with terrific strokeplay. It was a different kind of innings but arguably more impressive against Australia, as she came in after Shafali Verma’s early wicket and stayed through right to the end of the chase.
Jemimah wanted to ‘prove a point so badly’
Aaron argued that the return to the team saw her come back as a focused and committed batter, determined to score runs and keep her place in the team. This was made even fiercer given this was her first ODI World Cup tournament.
"After that drop, she is really focused, zoned in. I think all that anxiety would have made place for pure aggression, because sometimes when you are playing a World Cup, when you were dropped from the previous World Cup, you just want to prove a point so badly," explained Aaron.
Rodrigues’ form will be crucial as India take on South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Sunday’s final.