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Jemimah Rodrigues would have no choice but to push herself in competitive settings and critical situations whenever she can, particularly when there’s a greater good involved, such as the forthcoming women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates this October.
In addition to playing for Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) with India teammate Shikha Pandey, Rodrigues is a seasoned T20 traveler who has appeared in the Hundred and WBBL.
“These are the matches that I’m actually going to get before going and playing like proper team matches [T20 World Cup],” Rodrigues said at a media interaction organised by FanCode.
“I’m really looking forward to a few things that I’m working on to try and implement it here because when you do it in practice it’s different. When you do it in a match, it’s way different and franchise cricket has always excited me.”
In 2018, Rodrigues made her debut on the international scene as a teenager. However, in 2021, she went through a difficult period in her career and found her form again while playing in the Hundred with Northern Superchargers. After lasting more than 18 months without an international half-century, she broke a bad run of form in her very first game there with an undefeated 43-ball 92. Her total of 249 runs in seven innings was the second-best total of the season. It breathed new life into her career.
If not for her time in the WCPL, Rodrigues would have had to settle for training camps, match simulations and practice matches as she approaches her fourth T20 World Cup.
“I love travelling, I love playing for different teams,” Rodrigues said when asked about the prospect of playing in the Caribbean. “I love meeting new people and new cricketers and getting to know them, how their mind works and how to play in different conditions. Because every time you go play cricket, you don’t get the same kind of situation. Every time it changes.
“The more you’re in that situation and in those pressure moments I think that’s the best preparation you can have, so for me, I look at it more as a preparation for the T20 World Cup, and at the same time an added responsibility playing for TKR to do whatever I can to make sure my team wins at the end, so I’m just looking forward to playing these matches and I’m very excited for that.”