'We were under a lot of criticism' - Jemimah Rodrigues addresses India's solid comeback in Women's World Cup 2025

India Women faced three consecutive losses in the ongoing ICC Women's World Cup 2025, but tasted victory in the must-win match against New Zealand Women on Thursday, October 23, a match that sealed them the last spot up for grabs in the semi-finals of the elite competition.

One of the biggest positives for the Indian team in this match was the promotion of Jemimah Rodrigues to the No. 3 position, where she shone with an unbeaten 76 off just 55 balls in the first innings. The move came after Jemimah was dropped in the previous game, as the team could not find the winning line-up. The batter opened up on how things changed with one knock and how the team is remaining positive.

'We just want to play good cricket. The character of a team is always tested, not when you're winning everything, but when you're down and out. We lost three games in a row, and we were under a lot of pressure. We were under a lot of criticism. When things don't go your way, it's very easy to get distracted with the noise. But one good thing this team has done is they've stayed together," Jemimah addressed. 

I believe personally this has been one of the best teams so far for us. Because we've played so much cricket together, we know each other. Our energy is great. It's a young team with experienced players. So a champion team is a team which knows how to bounce back and that's what this team did. And we're still doing," she concluded.

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Navi Mumbai is home: Jemimah

The Women in Blue will be playing their last league stage match of the event in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, October 26, where the hosts will be up against Bangladesh Women. They will stay in the city to face Australia Women for the second semi-final on Thursday later this week. Playing at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Jemimah feels that the entire team feels like playing at home at this venue.

“Navi Mumbai is home for me. There's a different kind of warmth, there's a different kind of positivity. And it's not just me, the entire team feels it here because of the people around and how they make you feel. You know, they make you feel special, they make you feel loved, they'll cheer for you, they'll come out in large numbers and that's Navi Mumbai for us. Being a Mumbai girl, it's always nice [to be playing at home]. One more thing, [there's] not too much travel. This World Cup has been a lot of travelling, so our hotel is right here, so chill,” Jemimah told bcci.tv.

"But apart from that, we've played a lot of cricket over the last 2-3 years here. Lot of series, test matches, one day. So, I think it's a good thing for us. We spoke about in the dressing room that this is our ground. We can't let anyone come and take whatever they want from it. This is our home. We want to dominate here and we just want to play good cricket," she added.