Jemimah Rodrigues has opened up about the intense psychological struggle she endured during the ICC Women's World Cup 2025, disclosing that the weight of playing a home tournament — combined with being dropped from the playing XI for a pivotal match — left her emotionally shattered. The batter made the revelations on JioStar's show 'Unstoppable', recorded ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026.

Mental Pressure Before a Ball Was Bowled

Rodrigues admitted that the anxiety set in well before the tournament even got underway. 'For some reason, even before the World Cup started, I was not doing well mentally. Maybe it was because it was a home World Cup, and with the expectations that come with it. And it being a World Cup, the pressure doubles,' she said.

Her struggles were compounded in the very first match, where she was dismissed for a duck off the first delivery. 'That really broke me; it crushed me,' she recalled. The mental strain soon spilled into her fielding — an area she typically thrives in. 'I was putting so much pressure on myself that I wasn't able to move the way I normally do. I made a few misfields, which I usually wouldn't,' she added.

The Australia Knock That Reignited Her Confidence

With India facing back-to-back defeats and their semifinal prospects in serious jeopardy, Rodrigues found a turning point in the league-stage clash against Australia. A quickfire knock of 33-odd runs at a healthy strike rate helped her rediscover her touch. 'That gave me some confidence, and I told myself, 'Okay, fine. The England game is very important. Let's do whatever it takes to win against England,'' she said.

She described the mindset heading into that fixture as one of pure collective purpose. 'I really wanted to do it for the team because the World Cup was at stake, and we had already lost two games in a row. That game was crucial,' she added.

The Dropping That Broke Her

On the morning of the England match, Rodrigues received a message from head coach Amol sir requesting a conversation. At the ground, she was informed she had been left out of the playing XI. 'I was broken inside,' she said, describing the moment with stark candour.

India went on to win that match without her and used the momentum to qualify for the knockout rounds, defeating New Zealand to reach the semifinals. This comes as a reminder that squad decisions at major tournaments carry a human cost that rarely surfaces in post-match analysis.

A Match-Defining Knock in the Semifinal

When her opportunity came in the semifinal against Australia, Rodrigues delivered one of the most memorable innings in Indian women's cricket history — an unbeaten 127 runs under intense pressure, steering India to a stunning victory. The performance underscored how athletes can channel adversity into peak output.

India subsequently beat South Africa in the final to claim the Women's World Cup 2025 title, completing a remarkable turnaround from their difficult early-stage campaign.

Tournament Numbers Tell a Resilience Story

Despite missing the England match entirely, Rodrigues finished the tournament with 292 runs in seven innings at an average of 58.40 — figures that rank among the standout individual contributions of the campaign. Her journey from a first-ball duck and a dressing-room exclusion to a match-winning century in a World Cup semifinal is, by any measure, an extraordinary arc.

As India prepare for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, Rodrigues's candid account adds a layer of human depth to a triumph that was widely celebrated but little understood from the inside.