Did not celebrate despite scoring century; Jemimah Rodrigues broke down in tears after India's victory

NAVI MUMBAI: Scoring a century against Australia is a dream for any cricketer. Doing it in a World Cup semifinal to take the team to victory is even more special. Yet, when India's Jemimah Rodrigues reached her half-century and then her hundred at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, she neither celebrated nor raised her bat to acknowledge the crowd.

When Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary on the third ball of the 49th over, Jemimah's eyes welled up with tears. In the semifinal, she batted at a different position than usual. Instead of her regular No. 5 slot, she came in at No. 3. Jemimah played a magnificent innings, facing 134 balls and hitting 14 boundaries.

After being named Player of the Match, Jemimah gave an emotional response. When asked why she didn’t celebrate her century, she said, “My hundred doesn’t matter today. All I wanted was India’s victory.” She thanked God, her parents, and her coach, accepting the award with tearful eyes.

When India lost two consecutive matches earlier in this World Cup, Jemimah Rodrigues had to sit out as the team decided to drop a batter to strengthen its bowling lineup. Now, it was the same Jemimah whose brilliant innings laid the foundation for India to chase down a record total against the mighty Australian team- a moment of poetic justice. Fans are now hoping that the batter will continue her fine form in the final on November 2 and help India win their maiden World Cup title.