'I spoke to Rohit, Rishabh. They told me...': India women's star reveals advice from duo after facing World Cup axe

The India women batter feels she was blessed to have spoken to Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant after being dropped from the side.

Bowlers kept Sri Lanka on a tight leash after Jemimah Rodrigues's vital knock on return as the Indian team secured a convincing 34-run victory in the first T20 International on Thursday. Spinner Radha Yadav returned 2/22, picking up the key wickets of opposition captain Chamari Athapaththu (16) and Harsihtha Madavi (10) in three balls. While it was Yadav who thwarted the batting line-up of Sri Lanka, Jemimah hit unbeaten 36 runs off 27 to help India notch up a competitive total in Dambulla.

Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant (Twitter/Mumbai Indians )

Jemimah, who came in at five, hit three fours and a six, with Deepti Sharma playing the second fiddle to score 17 off 8 balls. She has had her fair share of ups and downs in the last couple of years.

Jemimah was dropped from the Women's World Cup squad earlier this year. But she revealed talking to Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant and how they pair helped her during the phase.

"I also had the opportunity in the last few months to talk with cricketers like Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant and others. They actually told that these moments define you and prepare you for something greater that's coming. If you look at it [in a] negative way it is not going to help. But these are the moments that define you as a cricketer. I was blessed to speak to them and some of our teammates," she said after her player-of-the-match performance.

"I have become calmer in this time and have understood the value of having good relationships... my family who have been there. The last few months have helped me understand even my game better. This is the cricketer's life - nobody's life is smooth and what I am learning is to get better every time," she added.

Jemimah also spoke about a change in her mental strength while she went through a difficult phase and worked on her comeback. "My height is the same but mental thing has changed a lot. In the last few years, from the last Sri Lanka tour, the journey hasn't been very smooth and there have been a lot of ups and downs."

Jemimah impressed in the T20 leagues in England and Australia but selectors felt that she wasn't consistent at the international stage. "Jemimah should take this exclusion in her stride and come back stronger," former India captain Diana Edulji had said about the chirpy batter's omission.