Playing to win

THE DIMINUTIVE 25-YEAR-OLD'S 127 NOT OUT ON THURSDAY WAS THE KIND OF STORY SPORT LOVERS DIG: FROM SWEAT AND TEARS TO REDEMPTION

- VINAYAKK MOHANARANGAN

THE IMPORTANCE OF Jemimah Rodrigues’ match-winning innings of 127* against Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup semifinal in Navi Mumbai on Thursday can be broken into three parts.

First, the context. The Australian women’s cricket team simply doesn’t lose often in One Day Internationals. Since losing to India at the 2017 World Cup semifinal in Derby, England - that day due to another incredible unbeaten 171* by Harmanpreet Kaur — Australia have lost just six ODIs in eight years. They won the 2022 World Cup without losing a match; they were unbeaten in this edition too. They are the seven-time champions of this tournament. So by sheer weight of their achievements, it was no mean feat for India to get past them in such a high-stakes clash. On the contrary, the Indian women’s cricket team has often been guilty of collapsing under the weight of high-pressure matches in the recent past. They snatched defeats from the jaws of victoryat Lord’s in the 2017 final against England, and against Australia too, have faltered from good positions in the T20 format since. But, if any one team has consistently challenged the mighty Australians, it has been India.