Exodus 14:14 — Jemimah Rodrigues' Art Of Staying Still Amid Adversity & Hatred

Engulfed in hatred, trolling and negativity, Jemimah Rodrigues never stopped believing. Now, India believes in her.

ICC Women's World Cup 2025: How Jemimah Rodrigues scripted India's win over Australia.

(Photo: ICC)

21 October, 5:15 PM (approximately). DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.

The Indian team arrived for their 5–8 PM practice slot ten minutes early — at 4:50 PM sharp. They had lost three consecutive matches, the latest against England. The upcoming clash with New Zealand, therefore, had turned into a virtual quarter-final. At their home, India were on the verge of not qualifying for the semi-final of the 2025 ICC Women's World Cup — a requirement considered bare minimum for the campaign to qualify as even half-decent.

Barely ten minutes into training, just after warm-ups and football drills, the skies burst open. What had begun as a sweltering, humid afternoon suddenly transformed into a torrential downpour. Players scattered across the outfield, seeking refuge from the sheets of rain. Soon, they all found shelter inside the dugout — all except Jemimah Rodrigues.

She stepped back into the rain, joined by a member of the coaching staff. Why? Because she wanted to talk cricket. Rodrigues was not a part of India’s playing XI in the England defeat. She was dropped. And a route back into the squad seemed improbable, if not impossible.

Yet, she spoke at lengths. This, lest you forget, was amid a challenging phase for Rodrigues. A phase where the otherwise vivacious, free-spirited, devil-may-care batter had to deal with anxiety attacks. And yet, she is known for kindness. Soon, it was evident.

This author, present at the venue for reporting duties, found himself caught in the downpour with nothing but a flimsy umbrella for cover. The dugouts were reserved for players and staff. Spotting the situation, Jemimah called out, with a smile bright enough to spark hope even after three defeats: You’ll get drenched, sir. Please come and sit with us. I insist.

When Tears Replaced A Bright Smile

Days later, when Jemimah walked into the post-match press conference after India’s historic win over Australia, the smile was gone. In its place were tears — long-suppressed, now freely flowing. This victory was not only about the runs and the hoorahs, the celebrations and the milestones. For Rodrigues, it was about a personal battle she had not informed the media about.

But now, she will. For, she feels it will help cricketers going through the same slump that she had experienced.

Recalling the last month, she says:

I’ll be very vulnerable here because I know if someone is watching this, they might be going through the same thing. That’s my whole purpose in saying this — because nobody likes to talk about their weakness. I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament, and even before a few games. I used to call my mom and cry — cry the entire time, just to let it all out. When you’re dealing with anxiety, you feel numb. You don’t know what to do. You’re trying to be yourself but can’t.

Jemimah Rodrigues

Throughout her training sessions, as witnessed by The Quint, Rodrigues was accompanied by at least one of her teammates. More often than not, it would be Arundhati Reddy or Smriti Mandhana. Beyond her teammates, she had the support from her parents.

During that time, my mom and dad supported me a lot. And there was Arundhati — I think I cried in front of her almost every day. I even joked later, ‘Don’t come in front of me, I’ll start crying!’ But she checked on me every single day. Then there was Smriti — she knew what I was going through. In a few of the net sessions, she would just stand there quietly. Even yesterday, she came and just stood there. She didn’t say much, but she knew that her presence mattered to me. There’s been Radha too, always taking care of me. I’m so blessed to have friends I can call family, so I didn’t have to go through it alone. It’s okay to ask for help — that’s something I’ve learned. My mom is as emotional as I am, and my family went through a lot. But they all stood by me and believed in me when I didn’t, when I couldn’t.

Jemimah Rodrigues

The Milestones We Have Seen; The Battles We Haven't

Dropping Rodrigues had been a reactionary move amid mounting criticism. Both the management and the player have since course-corrected — but ten days earlier, she was still fighting her demons.

Then came another challenge — I was dropped from the team. That really hit me. When you’re dropped, you have a lot of doubts because you always want to contribute. Sitting out made me feel helpless. And when you come back in, there’s even more pressure after everything that’s happened. But sometimes, all you need to do is hang in there, and things fall into place. I’m grateful for the people who believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself, and who understood me when I couldn’t explain what I was feeling.

Jemimah Rodrigues

Shedding light on the numerous setbacks she has had to deal with, Rodrigues adds:

To be honest, when I was dropped — obviously, coming into this World Cup after being dropped from the last one — I wanted to come out there not to prove a point, but to do whatever it takes for my team to win. I kept reminding myself of that, because it’s very easy to slip into the wrong mindset, and that mindset has never helped me. But I think today — not just today, even in the last few games — all I kept thinking about was how things hadn’t started well for me. It just kept getting worse and worse. First, I was dropped from the previous World Cup. Then I got out for zero in the first match. In the next one, I got a great start but couldn’t convert it. Then again, got out on zero, then a 30, and then I was dropped. So just when I felt, ‘Okay, now it’s going to happen,’ things just went downhill again. That’s why this knock is very special for me — because of everything I went through. To come out here and do it in front of my family, for my team, for my people here in Navi Mumbai — for this crowd — it means a lot. I think this has been my best knock so far. I’m saving one more for the finals.

Jemimah Rodrigues

The Art Of Staying Still

She might, for all it matters, produce the knock of her life in the final. Or, she might not.

Whether or not she produces the innings of her life in the final, Jemimah Rodrigues has already earned her moment in the sun. Her 127 — the cornerstone of India’s record-breaking chase against seven-time champions Australia, unbeaten in 15 World Cup games — has etched her name into cricketing folklore.

Throughout her innings, even when she was visibly jaded after three hours of batting and battling, Rodrigues kept an internal dialogue going on. Upon being asked what she was reminding herself, she mentioned Exodus 14:14. A biblical verse, that says: The lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

And still, she was.

If there is a god, he/she/they have done justice to the little fighter that is Jemimah Rodrigues.