Indian middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues played a fighting knock of 53 off 30 balls while the team was chasing 190 but eventually fell short by 12 runs in the T20I opener of the 3-match series, part of the ongoing multi-format series South Africa.
Jemimah came in to bat when India lost their third wicket, Dayalan Hemalatha, on the first ball of the 11th over. She was involved in a 90-run partnership with Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur while chasing a daunting total.
The right-handed batter scored her 11th fifty in the T20I format. Initially, she took her time with cheeky singles and doubles before accelerating and hitting boundaries all over the ground. She completed her 50 off 29 balls with a six against Khaka, registering her second fifty of the series. She took the initiative to attack the bowlers before Harmanpreet Kaur settled at the crease. Jemimah thoroughly changed gears, involving sweep shots and a couple of shots over point. In the 15th over, Jemimah took on Proteas pacer Eliz Marx, smashing three boundaries.
Fighting Fifty from Jemimah Rodrigues kept India alive in the run-chase 🔥 #CricketTwitter #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/OJLjPXG9K8
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 5, 2024
When India required 39 off the last two overs, Jemimah started with two boundaries, ending the over with a six to bring up her 11th half-century and second of the series. She smashed seven boundaries and one beyond the fence in her innings.
In the last over, Jemimah faced only one ball when 14 runs were required off three balls and swept it towards mid-wicket but managed just a single as India fell short of the target. Though in a losing cause, Jemimah’s innings gave the hosts hope throughout and was a classy inning by the batter in a crunch moment.