STAR IN THE MAKING

Time ripe for go-getter Rodrigues on maiden senior assignment

by Purnima Malhotra • Last updated on

Rodrigues is only one of two women cricketers in India to score a one-day double hundred in domestic cricket [Photo credit: Jemimah Rodrigues] © Cricbuzz

"Because I was anticipating this," says Jemimah Rodrigues, with as much calm and composure in her tone as she portrays in the middle.

You'd expect more frenzy in a teenager's voice after she's just received her maiden India call-up. The phone hasn't stopped ringing since she learnt of her selection from fellow Mumbaikar, Punam Raut. But this has been long time coming. And this time around, Rodrigues knew she'd done all the right things to deserve that ticket to South Africa. After a record-shattering aggregate of 1013 runs in the Under-19 One-Day League & Knockout, she faced up to the cream of India's bowling resources in the 2017-18 Women's Challenger Trophy and emerged as the third-best batter.

"I had been preparing to face these bowlers for a while now." she continues. "I normally also practice with boys, but this time I started practising with much older boys ahead of the Under-19 (season), and with some of the [Mumbai] Ranji Trophy boys because I was anticipating this. If you prepare well then automatically when you go in the match you have it at the back of your mind that your preparation is up to the mark; so now if I can just go and execute what I've been practising for so long. I just trusted my preparation."

Rodrigues also has a rule of thumb. "I just keep in mind that I don't need to look at the bowler, I just need to look at the ball. If the ball is in my range, tohhit, whoever the bowler is."

*****

There is nothing ordinary about this Mumbai girl. At 17, she has five years of experience playing at the national level. Not in one but two sports. But that doesn't mean academics took a hit. Neither can there be any compromises on her Church routine. She has a one-day double to her credit, much like her cricketing role model Rohit Sharma; has won Mumbai matches with the ball on the rare day she has failed to score. When cricket becomes tiring, she picks up a hockey stick to relax. Or the trusty guitar she carries with her on every tour. A certified all-rounder.

Rodrigues started her cricket at the age of four, unable to sit quietly in one corner of the house in Bhandup. And then her father, Ivan Rodrigues, forced her to the practice sessions of her two older brothers - Enoch and Eli - at the Bandra academy, 20-odd kilometers from home. Brother Manuel, the family's spiritual leader, suggested the move to Bandra, closer to practice. The house they stay in is still on his name.

Rejected at the "boys' facility", Rodrigues shifted practice to Shivaji Park under her father's guidance. And to kill boredom she had her first-ever hockey stick gifted to her by Brother Manuel. Rodrigues repaid the faith by getting selected in both the state teams - hockey before cricket though - at the age of 10 and 12 respectively. And then came a point where she eventually had to make a choice.

I asked Sachin (Tendulkar) sir how do you build an innings? He said, 'Its like I'm constructing a building. I wouldn't directly go and construct the 50th floor. I'll go step by step, floor by floor. I'll make the first floor, then the second, the third and slowly steadily I'd reach the 50th. The same applies to batting. You don't directly aim for a hundred; you break down those targets. You score the first 20 runs, then the next 20 and that's how you go about it.' That's been very helpful advice.

Maharashtra hockey team's loss was Mumbai U-19 cricket's gain. "Till then I wasn't that serious about my cricket," she says. "On my first tour with the Mumbai team I realised that I might have been good [at] on that level but I wasn't the best. I realised that if I wanted to get better, I needed to practice a lot more. So that's when it started coming from the inside that I need to practice. Then on, my dad never had to force me."

The attendance at school was never an issue; the principal of St. Joseph's Convent had that covered for her - to an extent that she wasn't even asked to appear for prelims ahead of her 10th standard boards. But BCCI's newly-introduced Under-23 Inter Zonal tournament for the women seemed too enticing an opportunity to let go of. Rodrigues Sr. persuaded his daughter to give it a shot, which also meant she had less than a week on her hand to prepare for the dreaded exams after her return. That her parents Ivan and Lavita were from an educational background, and run coaching classes, was of immense help. Having been in the field for long, the parents also understood what was important enough for their daughter to cover in order to secure passing marks. She fared better than her own expectations in the first few exams. And then came the point of mental exhaustion. "I hadn't slept, I had just had a very tiring season and I was mentally exhausted too. So the first few papers went well but then after that I went fully blank in my Geography paper. I came back crying and my mother said, don't worry, even if you get very little marks, it's fine for us. Don't take that pressure." Rodrigues eventually scored an 80 there too!

Jemimah credits her parents for the unrelenting support, especially during difficult times. [Photo credit: Jemimah Rodrigues] ©Cricbuzz

Starting early had its advantages. By 15, Rodrigues had racked up enough numbers and experience to warrant a spot in the Under-19 side of the Challenger Trophy. But when she had her sights on the national side, form deserted her at the premier domestic competition.

"I had a lot of expectations from me, people had a lot of expectations from me. You feel very low if you are not able to live up to them. I was hardly scoring any runs. At that time, I feel, I should have really dominated the Under-19 - at least a 50 in every match - but somehow things weren't going the way I wanted. So, at one point I was like 'enough now, I'm tired, I don't know what to do'. I probably didn't want to leave cricket, but I was just fed up. I'd stopped believing in myself.

"That's where my mom and dad played a very important role. They kept me going. They encouraged me saying that we believe in you, your abilities. We know what you're made of; this one bad match doesn't define who you are. They kept encouraging me through scriptures in the Bible; that God still has a plan for you. That gave a lot of strength. It's great to have someone backing you - you know that you'll always have these people no matter what you do and how much you score."

It helped that the selectors too never lost confidence in Rodrigues and her capabilities. At the age of 17, and ahead of many seasoned players, she was promoted as Mumbai U-19's captain at the start of 2017-18 season. Rodrigues responded by becoming the first to notch up a thousand runs in the season. Her 1013 in the 10 innings, at a staggering average of 112.56, included a 178 in the tournament opener against Gujarat, followed by 202 not out against Saurashtra - only the second double in women's domestic history, after Smriti Mandhana - and four more centuries.

Jemimah conquered the domestic circuit with a record aggregate of 1013 runs in the U-19 season. [Photo credit: Jemimah Rodrigues] ©Cricbuzz

A fortnight after her record-equalling double, Rodrigues broke into the India A side to play against the touring Bangladesh team. She carried her consistent form into the bilateral series too and won another shot at the Challengers. And this time came the selection for the South Africa tour that's around the corner, and a television broadcast for all games.

"My mindset was that 'okay, you've done well at the Under-19 level but you'll be in the selectors' eyes only when you do well in the Challengers'. I knew I'd be facing India's best bowlers, so if I could score well against these sides, nothing like it. I just wanted to bat with the same consistency and performance in the Challengers.

"The Under-19 season, yes of course scoring so many runs will give you confidence from the inside but scoring in the Challengers has given me much more confidence and faith than all these centuries."

She isn't thinking too far ahead but when the opportunity knocks, Rodrigues wants to continue her authoritative form against the South Africans too.

"It hasn't been easy for me, neither my parents. My mom and dad were right there and they burst into tears the moment I told them. This is something I have been working on for so many years. The struggle, the pain, the hard work has finally paid off."

© Cricbuzz

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