Jemimah Terms Harmanpreet's World Cup Semi-Final Dismissal 'Blessing In Disguise': Here's Why

Overcome with emotions after her undefeated hundred propelled India into the final of the ICC Women's World Cup, Jemimah Rodrigues described Harmanpreet Kaur's dismissal in the semi-final against Australia as a "blessing in disguise".

Jemimah conjured an innings of the highest quality under tremendous pressure in Navi Mumbai on Thursday (October 30, 2025), scoring 127 not out from 134 deliveries as India achieved a world-record chase of 339 runs, setting up a title meeting with South Africa.

She laid the foundation of the win with a 167-run partnership with Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 89 runs. Harmanpreet's dismissal in the 36th over increased pressure on Jemimah, especially since India had lost matches from winning positions earlier in the tournament.

"I was telling Harry di (Harmanpreet) that we both have to finish it," Jemimah told the media after the game. "When that (Harmanpreet's dismissal) happened, it was like a blessing in disguise for me because I was kind of losing focus due to tiredness.

"But when Harman got out, I think that added responsibility on me, reminding me that 'okay, I need to be here, she's out, I'll score for her'. That again got me in the right zone, and then I started playing sensibly," said the 25-year-old.

Faith Helped Jemimah Overcome Anxiety

Jemimah, who broke down several times during the press conference, said her faith in God helped her overcome anxiety during the match. She revealed that every time she sank to her knees on the field, it was to pray to God.

"I was praying. I was talking to myself because I had lost a lot of energy. I was feeling very tired, and due to the tiredness, I was playing a few risky shots during a tricky phase," said Jemimah, who was dropped twice on 82 and 106.

"(I was thinking) 'should I go right now? Should I take it deep?' That was one learning for me — to simply stay there — as towards the end, we always had the option to take it deep. But yes, I was praying and talking to God because I feel that I have a personal relationship with Him, and when I cannot carry myself, He always carries me," she added.

Teammates' Support Crucial During Tough Tournament Phase

Jemimah's charismatic innings came after a challenging phase in which she had been dropped from the team but found unwavering support from her teammates. "Nobody likes to talk about their weakness. I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament. I used to call my mom and cry, cry the entire time — letting it all out — because when you're faced with anxiety, you just feel numb.

"You don't know what to do; you're trying to be yourself. In this time, my mom, my dad... they supported me a lot. There was Arundhati (Reddy) with whom I almost cried every day; she checked on me daily. There was Smriti (Mandhana) who helped me, understanding what I was going through, and during a few nets sessions, she simply stood by me. There's also Radha (Yadav) who's always been there taking care of me," Jemimah added.

India's Confident Approach To Record Chase

Jemimah noted that India were not daunted by the mammoth chase, as they recognised that the DY Patil Stadium favoured teams that spend time on the wicket. "We knew that we've done it against this team, and with Australia starting off, they were 30 runs short of where they needed to be," she said.

"DY Patil is such a pitch that any score is chaseable. My approach was to be present on the field because the runs would come; I just needed to be there to get them.

"Whichever team might have come into the semi-finals, our team would have responded similarly because we don't merely play against a team — we play to win the moment," Jemimah further said.

(With PTI inputs)