Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues is playing her maiden Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) season with the Trinbago Knight Riders and hopes that this experience will help her manage the pressures of the upcoming T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
With India last seen in action in July and no international matches scheduled since then, Rodrigues has participated in a few franchise tournaments like the recently concluded The Hundred and now, in the WCPL.
Jemimah Rodrigues began her journey in season cricket at a tender age. In her early years, she showcased her versatility by excelling in both hockey and cricket, leading to her selection for the Maharashtra under-17 and under-19 hockey teams. She made her U-19 cricket debut at just 12 years old during the 2012–13 season, and by the age of 13, she was already playing for the under-19 state cricket team. Rodrigues has since become a mainstay in the Indian women’s cricket team, featuring in 100 T20Is and amassing 2,074 runs with an impressive average of 30.50 and a strike rate of 114.26. She has scored 11 half-centuries in T20Is and will be one of the key batters for India in the upcoming World Cup.
In 2024, Rodrigues featured in 8 T20I innings, scoring 151 runs with an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 145.19. In the first T20I against South Africa in Chennai, she scored a crucial unbeaten 53 off 30 balls, but despite her efforts, India lost by 12 runs. During the Women’s Premier League, India’s premier T20 competition, she played for Delhi Capitals, scoring 235 runs across 9 innings, with two half-centuries, and maintained a strike rate of 153.59 and an average of 39.16.
Jemimah Rodrigues views the upcoming matches, particularly in the WCPL, as crucial preparation for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. She emphasizes that playing in real match situations and handling pressure moments is the best way to prepare for the World Cup. Rodrigues sees these matches as an opportunity to refine her game before the major tournament, considering them more valuable than personal preparation time.
Jemimah mentioned, “The more you’re in that situation and in those pressure moments, I think that’s the best preparation you can have. So, for me, I look at it (WCPL) more as preparation for the T20 World Cup.”
Rodrigues reiterated that she would be securing takeaways that could help shape her batting approach in the upcoming World Cup, set to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next month. Jemimah is excited to put her practice efforts to the test in actual matches. She acknowledged the difference between practicing new techniques in the nets and executing them in a real game, where the pressure and dynamics are different.
Additionally, she feels a strong sense of responsibility to contribute to her team’s success while playing for the Knight Riders, aiming to help secure victories for her side. However, Rodrigues has an immediate goal ahead of her, helping the Knight Riders win the WCPL title.
She expressed, “Really looking forward to…a few things that I’m working on at nets, and I am trying to implement them here. Because when you do it in practice, it’s different. But when you do it in a match, it’s way different. At the same time, I have an added responsibility playing for TKR to do whatever I can to make sure my team wins in the end.”
The upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 has been relocated to the UAE due to political unrest in Bangladesh. India is placed in Group A alongside Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
(Quotes sourced from Fancode)
