India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has revealed how a timely message from cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar helped her stay grounded after one of the biggest moments of her career. Rodrigues played a match-winning unbeaten 127 against Australia in the Women's ODI World Cup semifinal last year, helping India beat the dominant side and move closer to a historic first world title. However, the excitement and attention that followed left her emotionally overwhelmed.
Sachin's timely advice
Speaking on JioHotstar, Rodrigues recalled that Tendulkar reached out through her coach, Prashant Shetty, with an important reminder. "Sachin sir called my coach Prashant Shetty. He asked him to tell me that he understood the past couple of days had been a lot for me, the big knock against Australia in the semifinal, the joy of beating them." Tendulkar's message was simple: the team still had one more job to finish. "He said, 'try to put that aside and start from zero'. That message really helped me reset my mind," she recalled.
Mindset shift before the final
Rodrigues said the advice changed her mindset before the final, adding, "I understood that what you did before does not win you the next game. You must treat every match as a new start. That advice from a legend gave me so much clarity before the final." While Rodrigues starred in the semifinal, the final against South Africa saw opener Shafali Verma take centre stage. Shafali scored 87 runs and picked up two wickets to play a key role in India's title-winning performance.
Father's voice note sparked Shafali
Ahead of the final, Shafali received a motivational voice note from her father during the two-day break. "He said, 'Just work hard. Give your best on the field and it has to be in writing that Shafali Verma helped India win the World Cup'." The message gave her extra motivation. "That voice note gave me some extra fire. I knew I had to perform not just for myself, but for him and for the team. It pushed me to give everything I had on the field."
Looking ahead
The defending ODI world champions are now preparing for their opening match against Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Birmingham. The team aims to build on their success and continue their winning momentum in the tournament.
