Last Update: March 01, 2023, 19:40 IST
Jemimah Rodrigues (AP Image)
In fact, it was only pure coincidence that her father Ivan spotted his daughter’s talent.
India’s top-order batsman Jemimah Rodrigues was one of the most sought-after players in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. After frantic bidding, Delhi Capitals bagged his home for Rs 2.2 crore, making him the fifth most expensive player of the inaugural league.
But like most women cricketers in the country, it has been an uphill climb for the youngster from Mumbai. “It wasn’t the smoothest journey but it got the best of me. My father used to chuck 300 balls every day when I was batting. I came to know this later, but my mother told me he would come back And his hand would be completely damaged, he couldn’t lift it.”
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“My mother used to massage it every night. But he never told me, he just wanted me to get better and better,” Jemimah said in an episode of ‘Know Your Stars’, available on JioCinema.
In fact, it was only pure coincidence that her father Ivan spotted his daughter’s talent. He sent him as a substitute for one of his brothers in an under-16 match at the behest of the school coach.
“Jemimah went in to bat. I thought she would leave soon. I came back an hour and a half or two later and she was still playing. These big players, it was an under-16 match. They were giving him chocolates for catching him. But nothing was happening because she kept batting!” Evan recalls.
Evan also reveals that Jemimah signed her first autograph that day. “A gentleman saw her bat and then later came and got her autograph and said it would be difficult to get her signature when she becomes a big player. He still calls me when he sees his batting.”
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Recalling those early days, Jemimah said, “We used to play with a plastic ball at home. My father used to bowl underarm and these balls swing a lot. I used to practice batting with him. That’s where I learned my cover drives at home. At that time we had a very small house, five of us were staying there.
Jemimah’s persistence paid off handsomely as she made her T20I debut for India in 2018 and has now scored 1,704 runs in 80 T20Is for India. She will now aim to top the run charts in the WPL starting March 4.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)