'Each league has its own place' - Jemimah Rodrigues believes all franchise leagues can co-exist

The Women's Hundred has got off to a dull start with two of the three games being washed out owing to rain. However, there is still a long way to go in the league and fans are excited to witness the action. Jemimah Rodrigues, who is one of India's rising stars, was not picked in the draft in March. However, she returned to her old team, Northern Superchargers, for the third straight year as a replacement for Heather Graham.

The Indian batter explained how Women's Hundred is special even with the wages being way smaller than what the players got at the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) in March 2023. Jemimah mentioned that the format is different and exciting and lauded England Cricket Board (ECB) for doing great work in involving crowds and kids.

"For us as players, it's not about the money. All of us love playing in the Hundred. It's a different format, it's exciting, and the way the ECB organises it - getting the crowds and kids involved - is something different. We love coming to England for it. Each league has its own place… every country's league is different: the WPL, the Hundred, the WBBL. If the end goal is to improve women's cricket, then all three leagues are equally important - and so are all the other leagues in the world," Jemimah told ESPNcricinfo.

"It's very exciting that I'm getting the opportunity to experience them. Everyone has different cultures but it's cricket that unites us and gets us together. I'm lucky that I've got this experience at a pretty young age."

You speak to their parents and they're like, 'My daughter wants to play': Jemimah Rodrigues

Rodrigues revealed that parents come and tell her how their kids started wanting to become cricketers after watching the Women's Hundred. The 22-year-old India batter also said that not only young girls but young boys are also getting inspired to become cricketers after watching women's cricket.

"You speak to their parents and they're like, 'My daughter wants to play.' And it's not just girls - it's young guys getting inspired to play cricket through watching a women's game. That's the most exciting part for us, about playing in the Hundred," she said.

Jemimah recently played in the T20I and ODI series against Bangladesh recently. She scored just 47 runs in the T20I series but emerged as the highest run-getter (129 in 3 matches) for India in the 50-over affair.