In a truly magical evening at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Jemimah Rodrigues burst into tears of joy as she dived into her parents’ arms after delivering a breathtaking, match-winning knock against Australia in the semi-final of the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 on Thursday.
The 25-year-old’s unbeaten 127 propelled India to a chase of 339 – the highest run chase in women’s ODI history. From an early innings wobble that had India under pressure for a mixed group stage, Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur steadied the ship with a 167-run stand that turned the tide. Rodrigues’ 134-ball masterclass was laced with 14 boundaries and sheer determination.
Pure moments of joy!
Tears, smiles and family hugs. Jemimah’s match winning strike says it all!
WATCH CWC 25 FINAL #SAvIND | SUN, Nov 2, 2 PM on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/ENDkBF5vk2— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 30, 2025
‘FEELS LIKE A DREAM’
The emotional moment ended Australia’s 16-match unbeaten streak at World Cups and took India to the finals for only the third time in history, after 2005 and 2017.
In a post-match interview, Rodrigues said, “First of all, I want to thank Jesus because I couldn’t do it alone. I know he got me through today. I want to thank my mom, dad, my coach and every person who believed in me. It’s been really hard the last four months, but it’s just like a dream and it hasn’t sunk in yet.”
JEMIMAH RISE FOR INDIA
Jemimah Rodrigues didn’t get off to the best start to her World Cup campaign, falling for ducks against Sri Lanka and South Africa. She was even dropped for the match against England in Indore as India opted for the sixth bowling option. But her comeback against New Zealand, batting at No.3, marked the turning point in her tournament.
She didn’t get a chance to bat against Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai, but led her A side to the semi-final against Australia, where she was named the Player of the Match. Rodrigues was in good form in 2025, amassing 747 runs in 19 matches at an average of 53.35 and a strike rate of 107.32, including three centuries.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
31 October 2025
