'He Fought for Me': Jemimah Rodrigues Thanks Jesus
After Record-Breaking World Cup Chase
George Kommattam - October 2025
In a performance that stunned the cricketing world, Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues led her team to a record-breaking chase of 339 runs against Australia, the highest successful run chase in Women’s ODI history and the first-ever 300-plus chase in a World Cup knockout, across both men’s and women’s tournaments.
When the cameras turned to her after the victory, Rodrigues’s response was not about personal glory. Instead, she turned her attention heavenward.
“Firstly, I want to thank Jesus because I couldn’t do this on my own. I know He carried me through today,” she said, her voice filled with gratitude.
Throughout the innings, Rodrigues was seen talking to herself, visibly drawing strength from within. Later, she revealed that she had been reciting Scripture in the final overs.
“Initially while playing I was talking to myself, but towards the end I was quoting a verse from the Bible because I had lost energy and was tired,” she shared. “The Scripture says, ‘Stand still and God will fight for you’ (Exodus 14:14) - and that’s what I did. I just stood there, and He fought for me.”
Her century, though celebrated around the world, was not what she chose to emphasize.
“Today was not about my 50 or my 100,” she said. “It was about making India win. I know I got a few chances, but I feel like God scripted everything at the right time. When we do things with the right intention, He always blesses.”
Rodrigues also opened up about the personal challenges she faced leading up to the tournament.
“I wasn’t in a good space mentally,” she admitted. “But I’m really grateful for my supportive peers who believed in me and stood by me. I just had to show up - and God took care of everything.”
Born to Mangalorean Catholic parents and raised in Bhandup, Mumbai, Rodrigues was trained by her father, Ivan Rodrigues, who not only coached her but also helped start a girls’ cricket team at her school - a pioneering move at the time.
In recent years, her family’s faith has occasionally drawn public attention. In 2024, the Khar Gymkhana in Mumbai revoked the family’s honorary membership after allegations that her father had used the club’s premises for prayer meetings. Some members claimed these gatherings had a religious motive, while Ivan Rodrigues clarified that they were “simply prayer meetings open to all, not conversion events.” The family’s calm response and continued public witness reflected the same faith that Jemimah now credits for her strength on the field.
From early morning cricket sessions on Mumbai’s school grounds to the grand stage of the World Cup, Rodrigues’s story continues to be one of faith, family, and perseverance.
As India celebrated one of its greatest sporting moments, Jemimah Rodrigues stood as a reminder that in the arena of sport - as in life - victory is not only measured in runs and records, but in the quiet courage to trust God’s plan and to stand still, letting Him fight the battles that matter most.
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