Jemimah has always been a great performer, playing World Cup huge opportunity: SYK

NEW DELHI: India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav praised India team batter Jemimah Rodrigues as the team prepares for the Women’s World Cup.

The tournament will take place from September 30 to November 2, with India locking horns with Sri Lanka at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati in the tournament opener.

India will be hoping to go one step further at this year’s tournament than they did in 2017, when they made it to their second Women’s Cricket World Cup final, missing out narrowly to England in a thrilling finish at Lord’s.

“It’s always good to see someone from your home city (Mumbai) who has played so many local games, represented the state, and then gone on to play for India. Not just in World Cups, but also in bilateral series. Jemimah has always been a great performer. Playing the World Cup is a huge opportunity, and I’m sure she will deliver because she’s a great teammate, always helping everyone around. As we all have seen, she brings amazing energy to the ground as well,” Suryakumar Yadav said on JioHotstar.

Rodrigues has scored 1,457 runs with a batting average of 32.38 and a strike rate of 87.88, with her highest score being 123 against South Africa in ODIs.

Rodrigues was recently ruled out of the rest of the ongoing ODI series against Australia after being diagnosed with a viral fever. The Women’s Selection Committee named batter Tejal Hasabnis as Rodrigues’ replacement in the squad for the remaining ODIs.

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson praised Richa Ghosh for her composure and talent, stating that the way she bats and keeps wickets, she always looks calm and confident.

Ghosh has played in 42 ODI matches, scoring 904 runs with an average of 28.25, a strike rate of 98.26, and six half-centuries.

“We all love watching Richa Ghosh. The way she bats and keeps wickets, she always looks calm and confident. There is a lot to learn from her. Wearing the blue jersey in this country is never easy, and there’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes,” Sanju Samson said.

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya sent his wishes to the women’s team ahead of the World Cup.

“I’m very excited and just want to wish the women’s team the best of luck. The whole of India is supporting you, and so are we. Go out there and enjoy the sport. Don’t worry too much, just be yourself. At the same time, remember that a billion people are backing you and sending their love.”

Spanning five weeks, the tournament will feature 31 matches across five venues in India and Sri Lanka, culminating on November 2 with the crowning of a new World Cup champion.

India squad for World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.

Reserves: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Uma Chetry, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare. (ANI)