Women's cricket: Jemimah Rodrigues' 3 best WT20I knocks
Jemimah Rodrigues is undoubtedly the future of Indian Women's cricket. The Mumbai all-rounder thouroughly backs that sentiment with the numbers she has notched up. She has scored 976 runs from 47 WT20I matches at an average of 26.37 and a strike rate of 111.16.
Rodrigues is part of the Indian women's cricket squad that is set to take on England in a bilateral series that starts on 16 June. The two sides will play a one-off Test followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is.
Ahead of the all-important series, we take a look at Rodrigues' best T20I knocks that made her a vital cog in the team's short format setup.
1. 2019: 72 off 53 against NZW
Batting at No.3, Jemimah Rodrigues blitzed a 53-ball-72 against the White Ferns in Auckland. Studded with six fours and a six, her knock helped India reach a modest 135 for 6 after a middle-order batting collapse.
In response, the Ferns outplayed them and won the match by four wickets, with Suzie Bates compiling a fine 62 off 52 deliveries. Even though India lost the match, they now had a stable Number 3 in their ranks who combined the ability to play anchor and to be aggressive at will.
2. 2018: 59 off 45 against NZW
The Women's T20 World Cup encounter between India and New Zealand was all about Harmanpreet Kaur. The skipper slammed a 51-ball-103 which headlined news all across the world. But she wasn't the only Indian to fetch significant runs in that match. Rodrigues made a valuable contribution as well with a 45-ball-59.
Together, they stitched a 134-run partnership for the fourth wicket as India set a competitive target of 194. In reply, New Zealand fell short by 34 runs.
3. 2018: 50 off 41 vs Aus W in Tri-Nation Women's T20 Series
Put in to bat first, the Australian women rode on big knocks from Beth Mooney (71 off 46) and Elyse Villani (61 off 42) to set India a target of 187 in their 20 overs.
Despite Rodrigues' fighting 50 off 41 balls, India went down by 36 runs. A late fightback by Kaur (33) and Anuja Patil's unbeaten 38 wasn't enough to see them over the line.
India Women's squad for Tests and ODIs against England: Mithali Raj (C), Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (V), Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav.
India Women's squad for WT20Is: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav, Simaran Dil Bahadur.