“You can win any tournament” - Jemimah Rodrigues’ dad reveals chat on Indian legend ahead of World Cup 2025 final

Indian Women's star Jemimah Rodrigues' father, Ivan Rodrigues, revealed the conversation he had with her ahead of the Women's World Cup 2025 final. He gave her an example of the Indian legend, MS Dhoni's attitude and willpower.

India beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final on Sunday, November 2. With this historic victory, the Women in Blue clinched their maiden ICC trophy. In a conversation with India Today (via @WorshipDhoni/X), Jemimah Rodrigues' father stated that he told her the importance of attitude, citing Dhoni's example, before the final.

"I only told Jemimah one thing - attitude. Your attitude is important. Why is Dhoni Sir a legend? Attitude. His calmness, his willpower, and his application on the ground to take the right decision and take the game deep. India went to the next level when Dhoni Sir came. I gave an example of the India-Pakistan match (2007 World T20 Final). Who did he give the last over to? Joginder Sharma. We thought Harbhajan had overs left. The attitude and approach that he has, if you have that, you can win any tournament."

The Indian team first beat seven-time World champions Australia in the semifinal. Harmanpreet Kaur became only the third Indian captain (across Men's and Women's cricket) to have won an ODI World Cup.

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Jemimah Rodrigues played a crucial role in India's World Cup 2025 triumph

Jemimah Rodrigues did not have the best of starts to the World Cup 2025 campaign. She was even dropped from the side for the game against England. However, she came back strong with an unbeaten 55-ball 76 against New Zealand. It was a crucial knock as it was a crucial win for India in the context of the tournament.

The innings also gave her the confidence she needed going forward. Her best performance came in the big semifinal against Australia. The Women in Blue scripted a record run chase as they scaled down a mammoth target of 339 runs.

Jemimah led the run chase with her scintillating unbeaten century. She struck 127* off 134 balls and saw them over the line. Overall, she ended as India's third-highest run-getter in the tournament with 292 runs from seven innings at an average of 58.40 and a strike-rate of 101.03.