Last Updated:November 01, 2025, 18:12 IST

A childhood prodigy, here’s how Jemimah Rodrigues rose to fame and became India’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 match-winner at the age of just 25.

Playing an innings for the ages, India’s middle-order star Jemimah Rodrigues struck an unbeaten 127 against Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 semi-final on Thursday, October 30, and pushed her side to the brink of ultimate glory. Her magnificent showing and the outpour of emotions afterwards stole hearts across the country, turning Jemimah from a talented right-hander to a household name.

While Jemimah Rodrigues held her composure brilliantly under pressure, very few were aware of the difficult battle she was fighting inside. “It was really hard this last month. I’ve cried almost every day. I was going through anxiety and not doing well mentally. I kept quoting a scripture — to stand still and let God fight for me,” she admitted after the game, revealing how faith in the almighty kept her strong.

As she wiped off her tears while speaking to the broadcasters and media upon receiving the Player of the Match trophy, it provided a beautiful insight into a life lived on resilience, commitment and faith as a cricketer.

Early Life And Family Support

Born to middle-class parents in the Mumbai-based locality of Bhandup on September 5, 2000, Jemimah’s cricketing journey began after she moved to Bandra. Recognising her talent at a very early age, her father and junior cricket coach, Ivan Rodrigues, reportedly built a schoolgirls’ cricket team for her to play with and learn on the go. She joined an academy and was given timely lessons to progress in her cricket journey. Jemimah was also supported by her brothers, Enoch and Eli, who were bowlers to her in gully cricket and made sure she improved.

Education

Despite playing several matches, the teenage prodigy never neglected her academics. She went through her school education at St. Joseph’s Convent High School and later graduated from the Rizvi College of Arts, Science & Commerce.

The World Cup Dream

Standing one step away from winning the World Cup for India, Jemimah didn’t even know what the prized silverware meant until she was 11 years old. At an impressionable age, Jemimah envisioned winning the game’s biggest title after watching Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar receive humongous praise and fanfare for achieving his dream in 2011.

“You want a 2011 World Cup memory. This (pointing towards a building) used to be Sachin Tendulkar’s old building. So when the 2011 World Cup happened, I was at.. this is my house, I had come to the balcony. Sachin sir’s car entered from here (the other side, in front of the balcony). Full crowd! You couldn’t step out of your house. That much crowd,” Jemimah said on an episode of ‘Mashable India’ on YouTube.

“From here, I could see Sachin sir’s head and him walking into his building. Now he doesn’t live here. He stays close by. But yeah, that was the moment for me. I was 11 years old at the time. I didn’t know what a World Cup meant. But when that happened and I saw the fans in India, I was like, I want to win a World Cup for India.”

Net Worth

Having made her international debut at the tender age of 17 after standing apart from her teammates and opponents in the junior and senior domestic scene in Mumbai, Jemimah has established herself as a key member of the Indian women’s team across formats. She has represented the country in 3 Tests, 58 One-Day Internationals and 112 T20Is and made close to 5,000 runs at the highest level.

Due to her great ability and performances, she currently holds a Grade B annual contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India worth Rs 30 lakh. Jemimah also earns match fees of Rs 15 lakh in Test, Rs 6 lakh in ODIs and Rs 3 lakh for T20Is. The 25-year-old was retained by her Women’s Premier League franchise, Delhi Capitals, for a sum of Rs 2.2 crore.

With rising fame, Jemimah has attracted multiple brands and reportedly holds deals with Hyundai, Gillette, Red Bull, Dream11 and Platinum EVARA. Her existing net worth is estimated to be close to Rs 15 crore.