Indian Women's team youngster Jemimah Rodrigues has had a roller coaster ride in the last few months. She was dropped from India's squad for the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2022, but she forced a comeback into the squad for the ongoing T20I series versus Sri Lanka.
The 21-year-old was the star of the show as her unbeaten 36-run knock helped India register a 34-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first T20I in Dambulla on Thursday. Speaking after the match, Jemimah revealed how she had an opportunity to talk to players like Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant which helped her deal with setbacks.
"My height is the same but mental thing has changed a lot. In the last few years, from the last Sri Lanka tour, the journey hasn't been very smooth and there have been a lot of ups and downs," said Jemimah after picking up the player of the match award.
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Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, the Mumbai-born cricketer highlighted how her conversations with Team India captain Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant helped her in overcoming various setbacks.
"I also had the opportunity in the last few months to talk with cricketers like Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant and others. They actually told that these moments define you and prepare you for something greater that's coming. If you look at it [in a] negative way it is not going to help. But these are the moments that define you as a cricketer. I was blessed to speak to them and some of our teammates," she added.
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"I have become calmer in this time and have understood the value of having good relationships... my family who have been there. The last few months have helped me understand even my game better. This is the cricketer's life - nobody's life is smooth and what I am learning is to get better every time," she said.
Jemimah's crucial knock helped India take a 1-0 in the three-match T20I series, with the second match scheduled to be played on Saturday.
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With inputs from ANI
