'Jemimah's handbook to silencing critics': Rodrigues lets her bat do the talking in ICC World Cup semis, netizens change 'stance'

Amid sustained trolling over her club membership controversy and fabricated stories targeting her faith, India’s Jemimah Rodrigues delivered a career-defining unbeaten 127 to steer her team to a historic win in the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final, effectively silencing her detractors and rewriting the narrative around her.

Rather than retreat during the intensive trolling and questioning of her religious faith, Rodrigues channelled the pressure. In the semi-final against seven‐time champions Australia, chasing a daunting 339, she stood tall, scoring an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls, anchoring a record-breaking chase and taking India into the final.

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From social media storms to the global stage

In late 2024, Jemimah Rodrigues found herself in the eye of a troll‐storm after receive­ing an honorary membership at Khar Gymkhana in Mumbai, which was later 'cancelled' amid accusations of conversion-related activities involving her father. Widely shared fake news and right-wing attacks sought to question her place in Indian cricket. Interestingly, some of the same accounts that had targeted her, have switched their 'allegiance' and are now proud of her match-winning performance that steered India to the finals of the ICC Women's World Cup.

Her knock featured power, poise and timing; under immense spotlight, she answered not only for her team but also for her critics.

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Performance that spoke louder than words

Rodrigues’s innings bears comparison to legendary men’s exploits, she became the backbone of India’s victory, echoing iconic World Cup knocks from the past. After the match, she revealed she had battled anxiety and self-doubt:

With the spotlight on her favourite number five, Rodrigues used bat and brain to turn what once looked like a burden into a defining triumph. She silenced the trolls not with words or posts, but with cricketing excellence on the world’s stage.