Jemimah Rodrigues-Fatima Sana's special hug becomes talk of town; social media abuzz

LONDON: Although the differences between India and Pakistan often reverberate in the field of sports, this time the world witnessed a rare display of friendship. Fans were stunned to see footage of Indian player Jemimah Rodrigues and Pakistani player Fatima Sana sharing a hug after The Hundred women's cricket tournament held in London.

After the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, India decided not to play against Pakistan in any sport. Along with this, Indian cricketers sharing friendship with Pakistani players were seldom seen. Amid this comes Jemimah and Fatima's hug, and it is news.

The incident has been met with mixed reactions on social media. There were earlier rumours that Pakistani players would be banned after Indian investors became part of 'The Hundred'. However, such concerns were put to rest when Sunrisers Leeds, owned by Sun Group, signed Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed.

Playing for Southern Brave, Jemimah scored an unbeaten 28 off 18 balls. Fatima Sana, playing for Birmingham Phoenix, could not put up a good performance. Birmingham Phoenix lost the match by 24 runs.

Batting first, Southern Brave scored 140 runs for the loss of three wickets. Lizelle Lee (43) and Maia Bouchier (45) gave a good start. Jemimah's unbeaten 28 runs later took the team to 140. Birmingham Phoenix failed to reach the target of 141 to win, thus securing the victory for Southern Brave.