Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Jemimah Rodrigues’ sterling match-winning knock of 127 against Australia in the semi-finals of the World Cup was the result of a year’s hard work and preparation, said her long-term coach Prashant Shetty. Jemimah’s spectacular knock to edge out Australia secured India’s place in the World Cup final, where they will now face South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on November 2.But the emotional scenes that followed – Jemimah on her knees, tears streaming down her face, and expressing gratitude with folded hands – told a deeper story of a cricketer who had worked hard, faced anxiety and heartbreak, to reach this moment, which generations of cricket fans won’t forget for a long time.
“It was very good for the whole country. Pressure was there for sure, and when she reached the 80s, then the realisation came that she could translate into a match-winning century and take the team over the line. She needed to stay put at the crease till the very end, because she was the set batter and it became really good for the team to have her till the chase was completed,” Shetty told reporters on the eve of the title clash. Before joining the Indian team for the World Cup and attending various preparatory camps, Jemimah had diligently trained under Shetty at Mumbai’s Kkalpavriksha Cricket Clinic – from facing plastic balls to taped tennis balls, white leather balls, bowling machine deliveries, and even soaked rubber balls – to prepare for every challenge she would face.
“It was such a relief. We discussed a lot about the World Cup. We had been preparing for a year – like how will the pitches be? What will happen? How will we do it? We also discussed how to prepare for the knockout games, as India is a team which gets into the knockout games and then it’s a matter of 2-3 matches.”
