Jemimah on family trolling, tough road to World Cup win: Double honour for every shame

Jemimah Rodrigues may be celebrating the high of a World Cup triumph today, but the journey to this moment wasn’t without its emotional scars. For the first time, she has opened up about one of the most painful phases of her life, the period of trolling and allegations that engulfed her family after India’s T20 World Cup exit. In an exclusive interview with India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, Jemimah chose to speak about a subject she usually avoids addressing publicly.

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“Sir, to be honest, I remember when that happened. It was one thing for me to face it, but when my parents were dragged into it for something we didn’t do, it really hurt. Everything we did at that time was according to the rules and regulations, and we had proof of that. But the allegations made against me and my family really affected us deeply because we had done nothing wrong,” Jemimah said.

The period brought emotional strain and unwanted scrutiny for the Rodrigues family. Allegations against her father, Ivan Rodrigues, for using Mumbai’s Khar Gymkhana for religious activities spiralled into controversy and led to the revocation of her club membership, leaving the family shaken.

From that turbulence emerged her most defining year yet. In 2025, Jemimah silenced critics with three ODI centuries and a starring role in India’s maiden ICC Women’s World Cup win.

IT BROKE ME

Last year was a difficult period for Indian women’s cricket after the team failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup. India began their campaign with a loss to New Zealand, registered wins over Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but a defeat to Australia ended their run in the tournament.

Soon after India’s exit from the World Cup, Jemimah Rodrigues and her family faced intense backlash following allegations against her father, adding to what was already a challenging time for the cricketer.

“That happened right after the World Cup in Dubai, where we hadn’t done well. I personally hadn’t performed to my expectations and was already feeling low. Then suddenly, I started seeing news, messages, and people saying terrible things about me — and worse, about my family and my church. That broke me. I remember my brother calling me, and I just started crying. I didn’t know what to do. It felt like one blow after another — first my performance, and then false allegations about my family," Jemimah said.

GOD LIFTED US

The year 2025 turned out to be a turning point for Jemimah Rodrigues, who was part of the Indian team that lifted the Women’s World Cup. After a shaky start with ducks against Sri Lanka and South Africa, she bounced back strongly with a half-century against New Zealand and a match-winning 127 in the semi-final against Australia.

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Reflecting on her journey, Jemimah said it felt like fate had come full circle; after the difficult period she and her family endured, she felt God had rewarded her with the joy of World Cup glory.

“But as a family, we sat together and said, this is not our battle to fight. We knew our intentions were right, and we knew we hadn’t done anything wrong. God is our witness. So, we decided to stay silent, not to prove anything or fight back. We chose to forgive those who hurt us because that’s what Jesus taught us, to forgive even those who wrong us.

"And honestly, I’ve seen how God turned it all around. Exactly a year later came that New Zealand semi-final knock and India winning the World Cup. Around the same time last year, we were in pain, but this year, God lifted us up and gave us double honour for every bit of shame we went through,” Jemimah added.

After an emotional World Cup campaign that ended in tears of joy and triumph, Jemimah Rodrigues headed straight to Australia, where she is currently representing the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).

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