Jemimah Rodrigues reveals anxiety battle during World Cup: ‘It’s okay to ask for help’

Looking physically drained as she entered the press conference room, Rodrigues spoke in detail about the fight within herself, that preceded her epic 127* in Navi Mumbai.

Rodrigues’ knock ensued India’s entry into the final against South Africa, and broke Australia’s 15-match unbeaten streak running across two editions.

Rodrigues reveals crippling battle with anxiety

“I will be very vulnerable here because I know if someone is watching, this might be going through the same thing," Rodrigues told reporters, explaining the extreme emotions she went through during the World Cup.

"And that's my whole purpose of saying it. Because nobody likes to talk about their weaknesses. I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament."

Rodrigues revealed how she has spent several nights crying during the World Cup.

"It was a lot, you know, before a few games also, I used to call my mom and cry, cry the entire time, let it all out," she said. "Because when you are going through anxiety, you just feel numb. You don't know what to do.

"You are trying to be yourself. And also at this time, my mom, my dad, they supported me a lot. And also there was Arundhati [Reddy], who I think almost every day, I have cried in front, almost every day I have cried in front of her.

"Later I was joking, I said you don't come in front of me, I will start crying. But she checked on me every single day. And, yeah, and there was Smriti [Mandhana], who helped me."

Rodrigues has arguably had her best year in ODI cricket, averaging 53.35 from 17 innings, with all her three ODI tons coming in 2025. However, she found herself in a spot during the campaign, dropped against England for an extra bowler. India ended up losing by four runs.

She revealed how a closely-knit group around her helped her overcome anxiety that had started to build ahead of the tournament.

“It’s okay to ask for help”

"She [Mandhana] also knew what I was going through. In a few of the net sessions, she was just standing there. Even yesterday when she came, she just stood there, just because, didn't say much, but she just knows that her presence is important to me.

"There has been Radha, who has, you know, always been there, taking care of me. I am so blessed to have friends, I can call family, that I didn't have to go through it alone. And it's okay to ask for help."

"And, that's what happened and, my mom also, she is as emotional as I am, but she went through a lot, my family went through a lot, but everyone stood by me, and believed in me when I didn't, when I couldn't. And, the other thing that happened, it started with the anxiety thing. Then I was dropped from the team.

Being dropped from the team was a setback that further pushed her into a difficult space.

"That [drop] really hit me, and you know, when you are dropped, you have a lot of doubts because I always want to contribute to the team. But that day, I couldn't do much sitting out. And then, when you come back in, it's a lot more pressure than everything that was happening in the past month.

She was brought back immediately as India tinkered to get the right combination. Having played at No.5 the first four times, she was pushed to No.3 in her comeback game against New Zealand, where she responded with 76*. She was slotted to bat at No.5 in the semi-final, but was told she would bat one-down “five minutes before entering in”.

By the end of the chase, she had proven the call right.

"Sometimes all you need to do is, just hang in there and things fall into place,” she said. “So, I am very grateful for the people who believed in me when I couldn't and were there for me and understood me.

"Because I couldn't do this on my own. I am grateful to Jesus because His presence and reading the Bible just has encouraged me in my tough times. And the Bible says that, weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

"And today the joy came, but I am still weeping."

India will now face South Africa in the final, with a first-time Women’s ODI World Cup winner guaranteed on Sunday night.