"I felt she shouldn't have been made to sit out against England" - Former MI star lauds Jemimah Rodrigues' knock in IND vs NZ Women's World Cup clash

Former Mumbai Indians (MI) player Aditya Tare has lauded Jemimah Rodrigues for scoring a stroke-filled half-century in India's Women's World Cup 2025 clash against New Zealand. He opined that the right-handed batter shouldn't have been dropped in the Women in Blue's previous game against England.

Jemimah scored an unbeaten 76 off 55 balls as India posted a 340/3 in 49 overs in the Women's World Cup 2025 league game in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, October 23. The co-hosts eventually registered a 53-run win via the DLS method to book their berth in the semi-finals.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Tare praised Jemimah for proving her worth after being left out of the XI in the previous game.

"There were only 14 dot balls in her innings. It shows how busy she was. She started this World Cup with two ducks. Questions were being raised whether Jemi would be the player dropped to play an extra bowler. It seemed like a harsh decision in the last match because she had played a similar kind of innings against Australia. She had scored quickfire 30-odd runs," he said.

"I felt she shouldn't have been made to sit out against England. However, Jemimah Rodrigues took the team management's decision very positively. They showed faith in her today and she got a promotion. I feel the Indian batting lineup does not have a player like Jemi," the wicketkeeper-batter added.

Aditya Tare highlighted that Jemimah Rodrigues can play the lap shots, hit fast bowlers over the top, and clear the extra cover region easily. He added that the 25-year-old brings a different dimension to the Indian batting lineup.

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"This innings shows her character" - Reema Malhotra praises Jemimah Rodrigues' knock in IND vs NZ Women's World Cup 2025 clash

Jemimah Rodrigues struck 11 fours during her unbeaten 76-run knock. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India all-rounder Reema Malhotra noted that Jemimah Rodrigues' intentful knock at No. 3 shows her character.

"Firstly clap because she came at No. 3. This innings shows her character. She was hungry for this. She was waiting for this. This is why the Indian team and selectors back Jemi. She brings energy with her. There was intent in this knock. She used the depth of the crease," she said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Jemimah was effective against both pace and spin and termed the Mumbaikar a true team player.

"I would call it a calculative innings. She played the pacers well, used her feet against spinners, played sweeps, reverse sweeps and paddles, and scored an incredible half-century. She is from Mumbai and was playing at home. She is a king at home. She wants to contribute for her team, whether she is playing or not, which means she is a true team player," Malhotra observed.

Jemimah Rodrigues walked out to the middle after Smriti Mandhana (109 off 95) and Pratika Rawal (122 off 134) had stitched together a 212-run opening partnership. She added 76 runs with Pratika for the second wicket and 48 runs with Harmanpreet Kaur (10 off 11) for the third wicket to help India post a massive total.