"He said he was depressed for a month" - Jemimah Rodrigues on Rohit Sharma's 2011 World Cup snub
Indian women's team cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues recently shared how Rohit Sharma motivated her by recounting his own 2011 World Cup snub from the Indian team.
India won the 2011 World Cup on April 2, 2011 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai with a six-wicket victory over Asian neighbors Sri Lanka in the final. But the current Indian team captain, Rohit Sharma, could not make the cut in the 15-member squad led by MS Dhoni.
Jemimah Rodrigues was also dropped from India's 2022 Women's World Cup squad in New Zealand last year. After taking a cue from Rohit's example and interacting with the player, Jemimah Rodrigues said on 'Breakfast with Champions':
"He (Rohit Sharma) was like 'No, a lot of people came up to me at that time and said a lot of things but nobody knew what I was going through'. There was only one person, Yuvraj Singh, who came up to him (Rohit), took him out for dinner and there was nobody else. He said he was depressed for a month. When he said that I was crying inside but I was literally in tears."
Jemimah further conveyed the golden words Rohit told her and how they helped in making a comeback to the Indian women's team.
"He said: 'Tough times will happen but you know it is what you do next. Make sure when you get the next opportunity, you are ready for it. It happens (or) doesn't happen it's fine.' And that stuck with me. I don't have to prove to anyone or anything. I just have to play for the pure joy of the game," she said.
Rohit Sharma has since gone on to become an all-time great in limited-overs cricket. He has captained the Mumbai Indians to five IPL trophies, while winning six overall. He is also the skipper for India in all three formats of the game.
"That changed me a lot" - Jemimah Rodrigues opens up on how cousin's death affected her
Jemimah Rodrigues is widely considered to be a jovial person. She is always very energetic, as seen in behind-the-scenes pictures and videos, and usually seems up for doing fun stuff.
However, a tragic incident shook Jemimah at the age of six. During a family trip, Jemimah lost her four-year-old cousin Kazia, who drowned in the pool.
That was a tough time for the then-young Jemimah, and she found it difficult going to school. Her belief in Jesus helped her come out of the traumatic phase.
Speaking about the experience of losing her cousin to Gaurav Kapur, Jemimah said:
"That changed me a lot. I got insecure after that, I was so fearful, and I remember I didn't want to leave my mom. I couldn't sit in school like a classroom of 30 people."
Jemimah added:
"I needed my mom like I used to make a big scene, like crying and started reacting. It was very embarrassing for me but I was going through something I didn't know what it was. How much ever I tried, I could not get over it because it was someone very close to me."
Jemimah Rodrigues played cricket and hockey simultaneously, but the former was the sport she opted for as a professional option. Today she is regarded as one of the most prodigious batters in the Indian women's team, who is expected to achieve numerous milestones.