Sachin Tendulkar’s advice helped me reset before World Cup final, says Jemimah Rodrigues

India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has revealed that a phone call from legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar helped her regain focus after she was overwhelmed by the innings of a lifetime that she played in the Women’s ODI World Cup semifinal against Australia last year.

Rodrigues produced a magnificent unbeaten 127 to help India defeat the world-dominating Australians in Navi Mumbai and pave the way for the team’s maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title. Reflecting on the memorable knock, she said that Tendulkar’s valuable advice and guidance helped her stay grounded and maintain her focus despite the emotions and attention that followed the landmark performance.

“Sachin sir called my coach Prashant Shetty. He asked him to tell me that he understood the past couple of days had been a lot for me, the big knock against Australia in the semifinal, the joy of beating them,” Rodrigues told JioHotstar.

“But he reminded me that the job was not over yet. We still had a final to win. He said, ‘try to put that aside and start from zero’. That message really helped me reset my mind. I understood that what you did before does not win you the next game. You must treat every match as a new start. That advice from a legend gave me so much clarity before the final,” she added.

My dad gave me extra fire: Shafali Verma

In the final against South Africa, it was an outstanding all-round performance from Shafali Verma that proved decisive. The opener scored a brilliant 87 and chipped in with figures of 2/36 to help India secure the title. Shafali later revealed that a motivational pep talk from her father played a key role in boosting her confidence and helping her deliver on the big stage.

The reigning ODI world champions are now preparing for their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup, where they will take on arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.

“We had two off days before the final. My dad sent me a voice note. He said, ‘Just work hard. Give your best on the field and it has to be in writing that Shafali Verma helped India win the World Cup’. That voice note gave me (some) extra fire. I knew I had to perform not just for myself, but for him and for the team. It pushed me to give everything I had on the field,” said Shafali.