[Watch] Jemimah Rodrigues jumps and punches in air with joy after Smriti Mandhana's wicket falls during DC vs RCB WPL 2024 clashÂ
Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Jemimah Rodrigues was ecstatic after the fall of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana's wicket during their WPL 2024 match on Thursday (February 29).
It was a crucial moment in the match as Smriti Mandhana was playing a magnificent knock at that juncture and single-handedly kept her side in the hunt while chasing a huge target of 195.
Even though her partners were struggling to find their rhythm, Mandhana got going from the onset and played aggressively, racing to 74, recording her maiden WPL half-century.
During her 43-ball knock, Smriti hit 10 fours and three sixes. Just when things started to drift away from Delhi Capitals, their ace pacer, Marizanne Kapp, provided a massive breakthrough by dismissing Smriti Mandhana in the 12th over.
Jemimah Rodrigues, who was fielding near the boundary, was spotted jumping in the air in jubilation due to the importance of Mandhana's wicket in the context of the game.
You can watch Jemimah's reaction to the wicket in the below video:
Jemimah and Smriti share a cordial bond as they have been very good friends since their early playing days for the Indian team.
RCB lose their way after Smriti Mandhana's departure and suffer their first loss in WPL 2024
RCB were reduced to 112/2 in 12 overs when they lost Smriti Mandhana in the chase. Sabbhineni Meghana (36 in 31 balls) got off to a sedate start but could not shift gears and make up for it, which dearly hurt RCB's run rate in the second half of the innings.
The RCB middle-order collapsed under pressure as wickets kept falling at regular intervals due to the increasing required run rate. The Royal Challengers could only reach 169/9 in the end and lost the match by 25 runs. It was their first loss in the season after two wins. Reflecting on the loss after the match, Smriti Mandhana said:
"The way we bowled the first two matches, we didn't live up to it. A bad game, but we have to take away something from it and come back strongly. We didn't really bowl or field up to our standards. Because of the crowd, we don't get the attention. We'll have a chat about it - I'll take that on me, will have to be really quick on the field."
RCB currently occupy the second spot on the points table with four points from three games.