Young batting sensation Jemimah Rodrigues opened up about the worst phase of her career when she was not picked for the Indian team for the ICC Women's 2022 World Cup and how she coped with those dark days with the help of her family.
Jemimah talked about this after she was selected in the India Women's squad for the upcoming T20I Tri-series and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa.
After missing the ICC event, Jemimah was recalled to the Indian women’s team for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka and then won a silver medal with the team at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Later, she emerged as the leading run-scorer in the Women's Asia Cup 2022 with 217 runs from 8 matches, and now the young batter has finally got the opportunity to fulfill her dream of representing her country in the World Cup, having been picked in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 squad.
In an interaction with WV Raman on his talk show Wednesdays with WV, Jemimah Rodrigues revealed: “There were days, especially in this last year when I was dropped from the team, I don't think I would have been able to make it without them (family). When I was dropped from the ODI World Cup and I was going through a very bad phase.”
She continued, “I was not Jem at home and they knew it. I was trying to fake it for them, I was trying to be happy, show everything is good on the outside but on the inside, I was hurting. Cricket is something I love the most, playing in World Cup is a dream and both those things didn't happen. For weeks I couldn't sleep well at home, I was getting dreadful dreams and waking up suddenly in the middle of the night.”
Speaking on how he started healing from the setback, Jemimah noted: “One day I remember my mom and dad we sat down at home all three of us were trying to be happy for each other just so that we could be strong for each other. Then I broke down and I told my dad that I think I need to take a break from cricket for few days. My dad started crying, my dad never cries.”
She signed off by saying, “He's like for me to go through something is fine but when I see my own daughter going through something, it's 10,000 times worse. And then my mom broke down completely. She is like it's so hard for me to be strong for the two people I love the most. And we all started crying and I think that was the moment when the healing started. I took a break then and just spent time with the family.”
She will now be seen in the tri-series in South Africa, which also features West Indies and will start on January 19.
(Hindustan Times inputs)
