Who said what - top 5 expert reactions on Jemimah Rodrigues' stunning hundred in AUS vs IND Women's World Cup 2025 semifinal ft. Dinesh Karthik 

India batter Jemimah Rodrigues starred with a stunning unbeaten hundred as the Women in Blue defeated Australia in the semifinal of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. The match took place on Thursday, October 30, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Opting to bat first, Phoebe Litchfield was the standout performer for Australia, scoring 119 off 93 balls with 17 fours and three sixes. Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani picked up two wickets each as Australia were bowled out for 338 in 49.5 overs.

In reply, India lost openers Shafali Verma (10) and Smriti Mandhana (24) cheaply before Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur stitched together a brilliant 167-run stand off 156 balls for the third wicket.

Harmanpreet contributed 89, while Jemimah registered her third career century, remaining unbeaten on 127 off 134 balls with 14 fours. Her brilliant knock guided India to a five-wicket win with nine balls to spare, securing a spot in the final.

As the right-handed batter stole the show, here’s a look at how experts reacted to Jemimah’s Player-of-the-Match-winning innings against Australia.

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Top 5 expert reactions to Jemimah Rodrigues' stunning hundred in the AUS vs IND Women's World Cup 2025 semifinal

#1 Sunil Gavaskar

Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar was full of praise for Jemimah Rodrigues. The 76-year-old highlighted how the Indian batter overcame pressure after being dropped earlier in the tournament and displayed remarkable maturity in her knock against Australia. Speaking on India Today, Gavaskar said:

“I think when you're left out of the team and you come back into the team, the pressure is way too high, and she dealt with that pressure by scoring a very good 70 the other day. That would have given her a lot of confidence, and today's innings was a marvelous innings.” “I mean, she was absolutely incredible, the way she batted. Smart batting, mature batting, knowing when to go for the big shot, otherwise knocking the ones and twos, and she was running for everything, you know. She was running for everything, which just tells you her stamina as well. Amazing,” he added.

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#2 Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra lauded Jemimah Rodrigues for overcoming mental fatigue and standing tall till the end to guide the Women in Blue to a memorable win. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:

“She started this tournament with a duck and then she was dropped as well. There were questions about her place in the batting order. She said she was crying throughout this tour. Her mind was tangled with so many thoughts, it was like a web. Every single day, she was fighting with herself, wondering if she would be able to do this. Then she scores a century.” “She’s there right till the end. At one point, she had completely lost all her strength. It looked like she couldn’t even run to the other end or had no power left to hit a boundary. But she was there, but she was there, she was right there. She stood tall,” he added.

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#3 Lisa Sthalekar

Former Australia cricketer-turned-commentator Lisa Sthalekar also praised the right-handed batter for stepping up to bat at No. 3 and for the way she kept the scoreboard ticking while expertly using the crease during her unbeaten century. Speaking in a video shared on Cricbuzz, Lisa said:

“What impressed me the most about Jemimah Rodrigues is the fact that, remember, she was dropped against England. Now, she's the type of person that takes it really well, does the right thing for the team. She gave us an insight in the Player of the Match interview that, literally, she has been crying every day. She has struggled with mental health. She was very open about that. So, to be able to come out in a semi-final against Australia, get elevated to number three, and then have the composure, that takes a lot of resilience.” “What I really enjoyed about her innings was her busyness, her ability to kind of keep changing where she was on the crease to disrupt the Australians. Her positivity is infectious. Her tears at the end were also infectious. I think, actually, it goes back to the self-belief of an individual and then the team,” she added.

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#4 Dinesh Karthik

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik commended Jemimah Rodrigues for her match-winning innings, noting that she had rewritten history. Speaking in a video shared on his Instagram account, Karthik said:

“Jemimah Rodrigues, you superstar, I bow down to you. Because on a night like this, when you haven’t batted at No. 3 for so long, to come out there and do what you did takes special courage. You have rewritten history. I promise you, this knock will be remembered for ages. Not many could have done what you did today. You were what they call under pressure, carbon becomes a diamond. You were a diamond today. So proud!”

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#5 Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif also lauded Jemimah Rodrigues for her unbeaten 127-run knock, describing it as the innings of a lifetime in front of her home crowd. Taking to X, Kaif wrote:

“Innings of a lifetime. Fantastic to watch Free flowing cricket by Jemimah Rodrigues. In and out from the team but she never stopped believing. Local girl DY patil star.”

The Women in Blue will next be in action on Sunday, November 2, when they face South Africa in the final at Navi Mumbai.

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Edited by Dev Sharma