After conquering Indian domestic circuit, 17-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues sets sights on dominating South Africa
When the Indian squad for the tour of South Africa was announced, one name who many were expecting was Mumbai's teenage sensation, Jemimah Rodriguez, and the Indian selectors didn't disappoint as they picked her in the squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa Women as part of the ICC Women’s Championship (2017-2020).
Jemimah has been a consistent performer in the age group Cricket in Mumbai and grabbed everyone's attention when she scored a stunning unbeaten 163-ball 202 representing Mumbai in BCCI's under-19 women's One Day league and knockout tournament match against Saurashtra at Aurangabad.
She continued her dream run in the senior women's one day league and was picked to play in the Challenger Trophy where she scored a match-winning 92-ball 84 for India Green against India Red. Days later, she was named in the Indian squad led by Mithali Raj.
"It is a dream come true for me. The reason why I started playing cricket is representing the national team one day and I have worked for this moment all these years. Finally, the day has come and when I got the call, my parents had tears of joy in their eyes because, more than me, it is their dream of me playing for India. It is a proud moment for my family," she told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview.
She will be playing alongside the likes of legendary duo of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur etc. and the 17-year-old admits that these are the names she grew up watching and is really excited to play alongside them in the near future.
"I really look up to them. They are like the senior-most players and have done so much for the country. So, I am really excited about the experience I will have with them like sharing the dressing room with them, getting to see how they prepare for the match, how much hard work they put in before the matches. It is surely going to be a good learning process for me and I am really looking forward to sharing the dressing room with them," she added.
Also read: I just try to do what Rohit Sharma does when I go out to bat, says 16-year-old double centurion Jemimah Rodrigues
After conquering the bowlers in India, the girl from Mumbai, who idolizes Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, has set her sights on stamping her authority on her Protea counterparts.
"I have been doing well in the under-19 tournaments and the Challenger Trophy. I just want to continue the same form and keep scoring runs even in the South Africa tour," she concluded.