Jemimah Rodrigues become a national hero on Thursday when she made the knock of the ages to take India beyond Australia into the final of the Women ODI world cup.
The young star fought against all odds the seven time champions and created a fantastic century in a record hunt. However, it was not an easy ride a year ago as she had encountered a religious scandal with her father which saw her have her membership to her gymkhana club suspended.
Is Jemimah Rodrigues A Catholic Or A Protestant?
Jemimah Jessica Rodrigues was born to Mangalorean Catholic parents and raised in Bhandup, Mumbai, India, alongside her two brothers, Enoch and Eli. She began playing season cricket when she was just four years old.
Jemimah Rodrigues: From Religious Controversy to World Cup Glory
The scandal came to pass in October last year at Khar Gymkhana Annual General Body Meeting. Jemimiah father, Ivan Rodrigues, was reported to have held approximately 35 meetings with Brother Manuel Ministries in 18 months, which allegedly involved religious activities, which is against the rulebook of the club, which prohibited politicking and religious activities within the club.
It is appalling that such occurrences had become part of this place. Such activities have been reported in other regions of the nation, but the sight of it in our club was worrying according to a committee member by the name of Shiv Malhotra.
The issue became worse when one of the employees reported the meetings to the former club president Nitin Gadekar. The gymkhana club chose to get officially involved on the issue by voting on the membership.
This move was arrived at after the members who were in attendance deliberated on the issue. In 2023, President Vivek Devnani announced to The Indian Express that the honorary membership was awarded to Jemimah Rodrigues during a three-year period but in the view of the circumstances it was canceled unanimously.
Jemimah struggles with the interior demons to write history
One year later, Jemimiah penned a terrific comeback and she conquered her anxiety-ridden challenges and scored a career defining 127 in the semifinal against one of the hardest teams in the game.
Her extraordinary performance in which she made 14 boundaries drove India to the top successful run in the history of women in the ODIs – as the crown in a new world champion will be announced on Sunday.
