Batter Jemimah Rodrigues was praised by former India cricketer VVS Laxman for her "resilience and mental strength" after she talked about struggling with anxiety in the early going of the current Women's World Cup.
Jemimah disclosed that she experienced anxiety in the early stages of the competition and used to call her mother and cry to deal with the pressure before leading India's most successful run-chase in women's ODI history to defeat Australia in the semifinal with an unbeaten 127.
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Laxman praised her character, saying that the capacity to persevere in the face of difficulty is a sign of true assertiveness and mental fortitude.
"This is what mental toughness, killer instinct and true aggression look like. It’s about standing tall when adversity hits and backing yourself with belief. You will have doubts, anxiety and negative thoughts, but champions win that internal battle, absorb pressure and stay unsatisfied until the team’s goal is achieved," Laxman posted on X.
For Jemimah, who was left out of India's starting lineup for the tournament's match against England, it was a day of atonement. She played the knock of her life against Australia after coming back strong and scoring 76 not out against New Zealand.
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She rediscovered her best form with superb unbeaten knocks against New Zealand and Australia, the latter featuring a match-defining 167-run third-wicket partnership that powered India’s chase of 339 and secured their place alongside South Africa in Sunday’s final.
Following the game, she talked about the challenges she had recently encountered and how she had never lost confidence in her capacity to play on a major platform.
"I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament and it was a lot before few games also I used to call my mum and cry, cry the entire time, let it all out, because when you're going through anxiety, you just feel numb. You don't know what to do. You're trying to be yourself. And also in this time, my mum and my dad, they supported me a lot," she added.
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