India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has revealed that batting legend Sachin Tendulkar personally reached out to her coach ahead of the 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup final, urging her to set aside her match-winning semi-final performance and approach the title clash with a fresh slate. The disclosure offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the mental preparation that underpinned India's 2025 Women's World Cup triumph.

Tendulkar's Message to Jemimah

Tendulkar called Jemimah's coach Prashant Shetty and asked him to pass on a measured but pointed reminder. 'Sachin sir called my coach Prashant Shetty. He asked him to tell me that he understood the past couple of days had been a lot for me, the big knock against Australia in the semi-final, the joy of beating them. But he reminded me that the job was not over yet. We still had a final to win,' Jemimah said on JioStar.

She added that the message helped her recalibrate mentally before the final. 'He said, try to put that aside and start from zero. That message really helped me reset my mind. I understood that what you did before does not win you the next game. You must treat every match as a new start. That advice from a legend gave me so much clarity before the final,' she said.

Shafali Verma's Father Lit the Spark

All-rounder Shafali Verma, who played a match-winning role with both bat and ball in the final, drew her motivation from a voice note sent by her father during the two rest days before the title clash in Navi Mumbai. 'He said, 'Just work hard. Give your best on the field. And it has to be in writing that Shafali Verma helped India win the World Cup.' That voice note gave me extra fire. I knew I had to perform not just for myself, but for him and for the team,' Shafali recalled.

Harmanpreet's Instinct to Hand Shafali the Ball

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur shed light on the tactical thinking behind her decision to bring Shafali into the bowling attack at a critical juncture. 'Even though we had five proper bowlers, I don't know why her name kept coming to my mind. I felt it was her day, so I had to use her somehow. Then Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus started building a partnership. That was the moment I knew I had to bring on Shafali. If that partnership grew, our chances of winning would drop,' Harmanpreet explained.

The captain also noted that conditions in the second innings played into India's hands. 'Chasing 300 on that sticky pitch was not as hard in the second innings because of the dew. It had rained and the outfield was wet. It was doing a lot off the surface. So, I asked Shafali if she wanted to bowl. She said yes with great confidence: 'I will bowl, and I will take wickets,'' Harmanpreet concluded.

India's Bid for Back-to-Back ICC Titles

India, buoyed by their 2025 ODI World Cup win, now set their sights on a consecutive ICC title as the Women's T20 World Cup gets underway in England on 12 June, with the final scheduled at Lord's on 5 July. Notably, the mental resilience on display in the ODI cycle — from Tendulkar's counsel to family motivation — will be tested afresh on the T20 stage. Whether this group can sustain that psychological edge across formats will be one of the tournament's defining storylines.