Overcoming fear of failure

Jemimah Rodrigues used every emotion and all her strength to lead India to the ICC Women’s World Cup final. The semifinal against Australia was nothing less than a ‘rebirth’ for the 25-year-old middle-order batter.

It was not just her composed 127-run innings as India scripted the highest World Cup chase but also her effort while fielding that stood out. She not only dived and sprinted to save crucial runs but was also seen encouraging the bowlers while they struggled to get wickets. She also boosted Harmanpreet Kaur’s confidence after the skipper dropped a catch.

During the chase, she batted exceptionally well till the end and cried uncontrollably after the job was done. “It’s not about me, I wanted to win this match for India,” she said.

Interestingly, Jemimah was not even listed to bat at No. 3. She was in the shower, preparing for the chase by talking to herself, just before she was asked to pad up.

“I was not aware about batting at three. I was taking a shower. I was told I was batting at three five minutes before walking in. I didn’t even have proper food before coming out to bat,” she said.

Jemimah knew the importance of this match, not only for the Indian side but for her own good as well. She didn’t celebrate her century. She knew the feat would not even matter if India lost the game and whether she would be able to ever cope with that setback.

“The last few months were not good, quite a struggle for me. I was facing acute anxiety. I cried almost every day... I would end up crying while talking to my mother,” she said. “I was

not scoring runs, getting dropped from the squad, there was a huge fear... all this was pushing me back. During practice sessions, I would sit alone sometimes. But thanks to my teammates, they knew what I was going through, they would just sit with me and talk to me. I knew why they were doing this, but it kept me sailing,” she added.

Jemimah said during her innings she felt like she was “God’s blessed one”. “I knew, I had to show up, God took care of everything. I talked to myself while batting, and towards the end, I was just quoting a scripture from the Bible,” she said.

On the eve of the semifinal, a group discussion was held and the players were asked to share their fears. “Even during the group talk, the focus was on India winning,” said Jemimah. “It was clear that any target could be chased at this ground, so the more we scored the better. And in case we fell behind we had to support each other. I think these discussions before such matches are important. During this discussion, I talked about my wish to play a match-winning innings, stay at the crease till the end. It really happened,” she added.

Skipper Harmanpreet revealed how head coach Amol Muzumdar’s fiery pep talk after the defeat against England helped the side regroup. “I didn’t speak a word after that match (against England) because he was the one speaking. Everybody took that in good spirit because he always speaks from the heart. After that, I spoke to all the players because I wanted to see what they were feeling,” she said.