'Extra bowler will make difference'

As India stand on the verge ofa first World Cup victory to make amends for missing out in the 2005 and 2017 finals, former India skipper Anjum Chopra in a chat looks at how Sunday's clash against South Africa could pan out. Excerpts:

- Shalini Gupta

What will India’s win vs Australia do to their self-belief?

Chasing down 339 is special, that too in a crunch knockout game. It gives them confidence not only on getting into the final, but as individuals, as an Indian team. It gives them a massive boost in playing their sport as well.

It was Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171* to beat Australia in the 2017 semis that fans spoke about. Has Jemimah Rodrigues’ 127* surpassed that?

You can't say that knock was less or more special. I don't think one needs to rate either. It took a lot of effort from Harman and Deepti that day. It’s taken a lot of effort from Jemi, Harman, Deepti and others on this particular day. Eventually India won and that’s why it's special. It was a semifinal and against a very good and quality bowling side.

Jemimah made her debut in 2018, but do you think Jemi the star was born in semis?