Jemimah Rodrigues has opened up about her emotional struggles and the mental challenges she faced in the weeks leading up to her match-winning 127* against Australia in the Women’s World Cup 2025 semi-final. The young Indian batter revealed that she went through intense anxiety, often breaking down in tears, before rediscovering her confidence on the biggest stage.
“I Used to Call My Mom and Cry”
Speaking after India’s thrilling five-wicket victory at the Dr. D. Y. Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on October 30, Jemimah Rodrigues shared how the emotional weight affected her deeply.
“𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒗𝒖𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈… 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕,” 𝑹𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, 𝒂𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑬𝑺𝑷𝑵𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐.
The 24-year-old revealed she would often reach out to her mother for comfort. “Before a few games also, I used to call my mom and cry the entire time… Because when you are going through anxiety, you feel numb,” she added. Rodrigues credited her family and close friends, including Arundhati Reddy and Smriti Mandhana, for supporting her through the difficult period.
Jemimah Finding Strength Through Support and Faith
Rodrigues admitted that being dropped for the England match was a low point, but she used that setback as motivation. “When you are dropped, you have a lot of doubts… I always want to contribute to the team, but that day I couldn’t do much sitting out,” she confessed.
Her determination paid off in the semi-final, where she anchored India’s record chase of 339, staying unbeaten on 127 off 134 balls. Reflecting on the innings, she said,
“𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕. 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”
Despite the tough mental phase, Rodrigues expressed gratitude for her family, teammates, and faith, saying they helped her “hang in there” until things finally fell into place.
“It Just Felt Like Everything Was Set Up for This Moment”
Recalling the pre-match team meeting, Jemimah Rodrigues revealed she had made a simple yet powerful declaration: she wanted to stay till the end and finish the game. “Whether we are batting first or chasing, I wanted to ensure I was there to take the team through. The last month wasn’t the easiest, but it just felt like everything was set up for this moment,” she concluded.
Jemimah Rodrigues’ heartfelt confession and emotional resilience have not only inspired fans but also highlighted the importance of mental health awareness in sport, reminding everyone that vulnerability can be a powerful form of strength.
Also Read: Emotional scenes! Harmanpreet, Jemimah in tears as India reach Women’s World Cup 2025 final
