Navi Mumbai, Oct 31 (NationPress) India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared her thoughts on the crucial partnership with centurion Jemimah Rodrigues that led to a remarkable five-wicket victory over Australia in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final. She emphasized the importance of staying united for approximately 30-40 overs, believing that the match would shift in their favor.

Jemimah scored an impressive unbeaten 127 as India successfully chased down a record total of 339 at DY Patil Stadium, eliminating the reigning seven-time champions Australia on Thursday. India is now set to face South Africa in the final at the same venue on Sunday, with both teams vying for their first trophy.

“When I came to bat, Jemi was already playing well at around 20-30 runs. She advised me that if we could remain together for at least 30-40 overs, the match would turn in our favor. Our approach was to calculate 5-5 overs and bat according to the runs required,” Harmanpreet explained in a video on bcci.tv.

Jemimah and Harmanpreet forged a formidable third-wicket partnership of 167 runs, with Harmanpreet contributing 89 runs. India completed the chase with nine balls to spare. “With a target of 5-6 runs per over, we aimed to achieve it without taking risks. As the innings progressed, I started picking up the pace with my shots,” she added.

This monumental victory against Australia marks a significant emotional milestone for the team, which has experienced a rollercoaster campaign, facing challenges after three league stage losses.

“This win is monumental for us as we've navigated numerous ups and downs throughout the World Cup. Our resilience has kept us strong in this tournament, and we believe in ourselves. We should celebrate this victory, but the next game is equally vital, and we will approach it with the same mindset,” she noted.

Reflecting on their previous semi-final win against Australia in the 2017 World Cup in England, Harmanpreet highlighted how the team drew strength from that experience. “I feel fantastic. During our last semi-final match against Australia (in 2017), we held a similar mindset of playing fearless cricket.”

“We maintained the same approach here, playing with both courage and calculation. We executed our plans effectively, showcasing our belief in both our batting and bowling departments. Throughout the tournament, we consistently scored runs, even on challenging pitches. Despite losing wickets, we managed to put decent totals on the board.”

“Some matches didn’t go our way, but our self-belief kept us determined that we could turn things around, and we did just that,” she concluded.