How A Call With Coach Prashant Shetty Turned Tables For Jemimah Rodrigues In Women’s World Cup | Cricket News

Jemimah Rodrigues with her coach Prashant Shetty (Picture credit: Instagram @jemimahrodrigues)

Jemimah Rodrigues – a 25-year-old Mumbai girl – brought Australia to their knees on Thursday night. The daunting chase of 339 required divine intervention, and Jemimah personified it for her team.

Jemimah not only produced a memorable unbeaten innings of 127 but also shattered Australia’s invincibility, handing the women in yellow their first loss in 16 ODI World Cup games.

What followed was an outpouring of raw emotion. Jemimah sank to the ground, weeping uncontrollably — tears that had been bottled up for years. With folded hands and moist eyes, she thanked her family for standing by her through every high and low.

Jemimah’s coach, Prashant Shetty, who was in attendance at the DY Patil stadium alongside the Rodrigues family, believes it takes too much courage to let the emotions flow in front of so many people.

Speaking with CNN News18 CricketNext, Shetty said that several emotions inside her came out at the right time.

“It was just the tears of joy. She had cried in big games where India lost chasing in big matches. If you see the past World Cups, we could have won, but we missed because we lost to Australia. So, those feelings were bottled up,” Shetty told News18 CricketNext.

“She was excited for the tournament, but she didn’t perform that way and even got dropped [for the England game]. All these emotions were inside her. And she’s an emotional person.”

“I think showing that side of herself took a lot of courage. She didn’t try to hold back her tears — she let them flow. That was very brave of her,” he added.

Getting picked for an ODI World Cup is no less than a badge of honour, especially when the tournament is happening at home. For Jemimah, it was more special because she had been through the heartbreak of missing out in 2022, in the New Zealand edition.

The excitement was also at its peak, given her run in the ODIs in 2025. Since making her debut in 2018, Jemimah registered her maiden hundred earlier this year against Ireland, followed by another ton against the West Indies.

However, her World Cup campaign did not begin as brightly as she would have hoped. Jemimah endured two ducks and as many as 30-plus scores before getting dropped against England.

But a call with her coach, Shetty, the following day was the best thing that could have happened to her.

“She was a bit disappointed, of course. It wasn’t a good time, but we focused on things within our control. We were still in the tournament, so I told her to stay in a good frame of mind. Because in this game, anything can change anytime,” Shetty said.

“We also discussed that she had only gone from No. 3 to be a 12th man. It wasn’t like she was completely out of the picture. If the combination changes, anyone could get a chance. So, it was important to make her understand that she should stay prepared instead of feeling sad,” he added.

That talk proved pivotal. The defeat against England was India’s third in a row, and the hosts desperately needed a turnaround to stay alive. Returning to Navi Mumbai turned out to be a blessing in disguise — especially for Jemimah.

Interestingly, she remains unbeaten at this venue in the ongoing tournament.

“She did well against New Zealand. So, we didn’t talk before the semis. Too many conversations, what we say the outside noise, is also not good. She knows what has to be done. We just spoke about the batting position. Since she did well against New Zealand, the team management might consider her again in that spot,” he said.

They did and Jemimah made it count. Batting at No. 3, she scripted history against defending champions Australia. She batted like a dream to put the opposition on the mat and pulled off the highest successful chase in the history of Women’s World Cup and Women’s ODIs.

And what more could a coach ask for than watching his ward win a high-stakes match for the country? Jemimah had made Shetty super proud!

“[It felt] Amazing,” Shetty chuckled.

“We have lost to Australia almost every time while chasing, especially in big tournaments or knockout games. To pull that off in such a high run chase was special. I didn’t even know it was the highest run chase. Scoring above 300 in a semi-final, against that opposition and on that occasion, was incredible. That’s why I was very happy,” he added.

Even Jemimah’s latest Instagram story speaks volumes about the moral support, especially when she needed the push to discover her mojo.

India are just a hurdle away from scripting history. They will face South Africa in the much-anticipated ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Whichever team wins, history will see a new world champion in women’s ODIs. But, since it’s happening in India, we know who to root for.

Shetty’s advice to Jemimah for the big final is to enjoy, believe in herself and make the most of the opportunity.

“Just go there, express yourself, and enjoy the moment. If you could make it on Sunday, you’ll have to wait four more years to win the World Cup. So, make the most of this opportunity — live in the moment and give your best,” Shetty concluded.