Star India women's cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues has expressed her comfort with batting at any position in the lineup, emphasizing that clarity about her role is key to her performance. As the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 approaches, Team India is using the ongoing series against England as a platform to finalize their playing eleven.
Rodrigues embraces floating role
Rodrigues, who anchored the No. 3 spot earlier this year against top teams like Australia and South Africa, has willingly adapted to a floating role against England, dropping to No. 4 and No. 5 in the first two T20Is. Rather than being disrupted, she views this as a necessary evolution for the squad.
"I think I'm comfortable at all positions. In the end, it is important for me to have clarity. And when I have clarity about a certain role, I know I can go out there and deliver. Now is the time where we have few more games to experiment about what's the best combination that's working for the team," Rodrigues said, as quoted by the ICC website.
Boosting batting depth
By moving Rodrigues down the order, India have created more opportunities for wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia to spend time at the crease. Bhatia returned to the national team after nearly two years on the sidelines due to injury, adding strength and depth to the batting lineup.
Rodrigues praised Bhatia for her strong comeback after a lengthy injury layoff, saying her return has been a major boost. She highlighted Bhatia's impressive 54-run performance in her first game back, calling it a reflection of the character and determination required to succeed after such a long absence.
"Yastika was not with us lately because of her injury. So this is the only game time that she's also getting. For us to have her here is a great advantage. We saw what she did in the first game, the way she batted. To come out after injury and do such a thing, it takes a lot of character," said the 25-year-old batter.
Positive mindset for improvement
Rodrigues expressed satisfaction with Bhatia's progress and the team's continued focus on strengthening their batting. She added that the squad is moving forward with a positive mindset of constant improvement and adding more depth to the batting lineup.
"I'm very happy with the way she's going and very happy with the fact that, we are still willing to add a little more in batting. And that's the kind of mindset we have. And that's the mindset we are going towards," Rodrigues said.
India Women won the first match against England by 38 runs but faced a 26-run defeat in the second match. The Women in Blue will face England for the series decider on Tuesday at Taunton.
