Jemimah Rodrigues's record shattering innings sets new benchmark for Indian cricket ahead of World Cup final

Much has been wrangled over the performance of the Indian Women’s cricket team’s middle order batting, which has been a debacle of sorts in the past month of the ongoing ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. Following staunch starts from the top three, the middle order couldn’t seem to carry on the good work and fell like a pack of cards on multiple occasions.

A major point of contention was the form of Jemimah Rodrigues, who has been on a roller coaster ride. Juggling and oscillating around different positions, Jemimah was sort of lost in the muddle with no clarity in her role.

Following this was some lacklustre performance that saw her getting dropped from the playing eleven.

However, after getting pushed up to number three, Rodrigues has turned the tide with a rollicking display of fortitude.

Her knock of 75 in the do-or-die game against New Zealand, which went under the radar owing to the big hundreds that came off the bats of Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal, ensured that India reached safer shores.

Her swashbuckling innings also gave the bowlers a buffer that saw India seal a semi-final spot.

But if the innings against New Zealand was quick and flashy, her match-winning knock against the seven-time and incumbent world champions, Australia showed her grit and her ability to stand up and grind away each and every run on the day it mattered the most.

Surely the 25-year-old did have a couple of lives courtesy of some drop catches by the Aussies. But as the old adage goes, fortune favours the brave, and it indeed did to a batter that has defied the odds when the chips were down and things were looking dicey after the fall of the first two wickets in quick intervals.

A big highlight of Rodrigues’s innings was her calm presence and her nonchalant stroke-making making which deserves all the plaudits.

Albeit the miscued shots from the 25-year-old did give a lot of heart-in-the-mouth moments, Jemimah backed her ability to the fullest and played the innings of a lifetime in one of the historic run chases that have come at the knock-out stage of a World Cup.

Whether it was her ability to pierce and slice the gap between point and cover with her cuts and late cuts against pacers, or her adroitness to come down the wicket against spinners, Jemimah excelled in both.

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Rodrigues not only showed character but also maturity during the herculean run chase. Despite reaching a 50 and then later converting the same into a hundred, Jemimah did not raise her bat, putting all personal milestones on the back burner with her eyes sternly locked on the bigger picture of getting India into the World Cup Final.

Adding to this, the Aussies put their bodies on the line by diving and skidding across the moisture-heavy grass that was glistening with dew droplets, making the chase even more arduous for the 25-year-old.

Despite all of this, Jemimah did not stare at the bottom of the barrel and pressed on to the finish.

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Even when the kangaroos pulled down the curtain on the Harmanpreet show that almost triggered the nightmares that the Aussies faced in 2017, Rodrigues's methodical approach of mixing caution with aggression became the gleaming ray of hope on a day that saw dark clouds that triggered a mild cloud burst, suspending play in the first innings.

She has created history by doing something that even the great Tendulkars, Kohlis, Rohits and the Dhonis of the world are yet to do.

That is to chase a 300-plus total in an ODI World Cup semi-final/final against a dominating Australia.

Now that the semi-final is done and dusted, the only thing that separates the Women in Blue and the World Cup is a potent South African team that is looking to make history by clinching their maiden World Cup.

The Proteas are looking lethal, but the Indian Women are looking more dangerous than ever.

Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.