I Knew Australia Were 30 Runs Short

After a poor start to the tournament with just 65 runs in four innings, including two ducks, and being eliminated in the league stage against England, Rodrigues produced a knock for the ages. His unbeaten 127 from 134 balls with 14 boundaries helped India chase down 339 runs; this was the highest ever run chase in women’s ODI cricket and in knockout matches in both men’s and women’s ODI World Cups.

“I think the thought of the team when we saw that score was that we had scored 341 in 49 overs against New Zealand and we had scored 333 against Australia in Vizag. So we knew we had done it against this team. The way Australia started, I felt they were 30 runs short given their start. DY Patil is such a pitch that every score can be traced. I just knew I had to be there because if I stayed the runs would come. Wrinkle,” Jemimah Rodrigues said. to the media.

Rodrigues felt that Harmanpreet Kaur’s wicket was a “blessing in disguise” for her as she lost focus due to fatigue. With the added responsibility, Jemimah refocused and started playing sensibly to finish India off.

“When it happened (Harman’s goal fell) – it was not a blessing for me, it was a blessing in disguise because I was losing focus due to fatigue. Harman coming out put more responsibility on me – okay, I have to be here, he is out, I will score for him. That put me in the right zone and then I started playing sensibly,” he said.

Jemimah and Harmanpreet (89 off 88 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes) did not let the pressure build on India as they chased and put together a 167-run stand for the third wicket. Jemimah described her match-winning strike as “very special”, given the difficulties she faced, including relegation from the team and inconsistent form.

He emphasized that his focus was on helping the team win and said he was overwhelmed by playing emotionally in front of his family, team and home crowd. Jemimah also teased that she was “saving another one for the finals”.

“Honestly, coming into this World Cup after getting relegated in the last World Cup, I didn’t want to go out there and prove anything, I just wanted to do things to help my team win. “I kept reminding myself that it was easy to get into that mentality, but it didn’t do me any good.

Today, not just in the last few games but from the beginning, all I thought about was staying focused. Things continued to get worse; being relegated from the previous World Cup, scoring zero points in the first leg, failing to convert starts and being relegated again. This beat is so special because of everything I’ve been through; to do this in front of my family, my team and my people in Navi Mumbai,” he concluded.

Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. Following skipper Alyssa Healy’s early defeat, Phoebe Litchfield (119 in 93 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes) and Ellyse Perry (77 in 88 balls, six fours and two sixes) put together a 155-run stand for the second wicket.

With Litchfield’s wicket, India made a comeback, reducing Australia to 265/6. But 66 runs between Ash Gardner (63 from 45 balls, four boundaries and four sixes) and Kim Garth (17) took the Aussies to 338 runs in 49.5 overs. Shree Charani (2/49) and Deepti Sharma (2/73) were among India’s best bowlers, while Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Goud and Radha Yadav took one wicket each.

During the run chase, India were leading 59/2 in the 10th over and lost openers Shafali Verma (10) and Smriti Mandhana (24 off 24 balls, with two fours and a six). But Jemimah and Harmanpreet ensured there was no pressure, guiding India with their 167-run partnership. Richa Ghosh (26 from 16 balls, two fours and two sixes) and Amanjot (15* from eight balls, two fours) played key roles, helping India complete the chase with five wickets and nine balls to spare.

Jemimah won the ‘Player of the Match’ award. With this win, India booked their place in the Women’s World Cup final and will face South Africa on Sunday.