From 'Baby' Of Team India To Star Batter: The Story Of Jemimah Rodrigues

When Jemimah Rodrigues made her international cricket debut for India as a 17-year-old against South Africa in February 2018, there were high hopes from her to continue Mumbai's rich legacy of producing exceptional batters. Since then, Jemimah has successfully navigated through numerous challenges to establish herself as a key batter in the national set-up. She has also become a familiar face in various T20 franchise leagues, who have grown significantly in numbers since Jemimah made her international debut.

Jemimah attributes her growth as a person on and off the field to her participation in the now-defunct Kia Super League (KSL) in England - her maiden appearance in an overseas T20 league. The numbers were exceptional — 401 runs coming at an average of 57.28 and strike rate of 149.62, including an unbeaten 112 off 58 balls.

Apart from on-field showings as a number four batter, instead of batting in top three, the experience of living alone abroad for a month transformed young Jemimah in positive ways. “I was just 18 when I travelled all alone abroad. I had to do everything on my own - from my laundry to cooking my own food, staying in apartments, and travel for games, apart from managing the money and everything.”

“So that experience changed me a lot, because I was not used to being alone in anything. Even in the Indian team, I was like the baby of the team, I was very loved and taken care of, and I knew everyone. But then this was a whole new thing - a lot of times I felt very alone and lonely. But that changed me a lot as a person, and made me more independent.”

“At the same time, I felt stronger in the sense that I was very young, and it was not easy for me being alone for an entire month. So that changed a lot and