After playing a crucial part in India's recent World Cup victory, star batter Jemimah Rodrigues has finally addressed the much-discussed Khar Gymkhana controversy involving her family. Her gymkhana membership was suspended as a result of it last year, and the controversy resurfaced after her match-winning show against Australia in the semifinals.
The issue was first reported in October last year during the Annual General Body Meeting of Khar Gymkhana. Ivan Rodrigues, Jemimah's father, was accused of holding over 35 events connected to Brother Manuel Ministries over the course of 18 months. The club's rules forbids political or religious events on its property.
After a staff member informed previous club president Nitin Gadekar about the matter, tensions increased and the management decided to hold formal proceedings by a vote of the members.
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Rodrigues discussed the emotional toll the controversy had on her and her family, calling it one of the most difficult times in her life. Speaking her heart out, she described how the unfounded accusations coincided with her already faltering post-World Cup form.
“To be honest I remember when that happened. It was one thing for me to face it, but when my parents were dragged into it for something we didn’t do, it really hurt. Everything we did at that time was according to the rules and regulations — and we had proof of that. But the allegations made against me and my family really affected us deeply because we had done nothing wrong,” Jemimah told India Today.
“That happened right after the World Cup in Dubai, where we hadn’t done well. I personally hadn’t performed to my expectations and was already feeling low. Then suddenly, I started seeing news, messages, and people saying terrible things about me — and worse, about my family and my church. That broke me. I remember my brother calling me, and I just started crying. I didn’t know what to do. It felt like one blow after another — first my performance, and then false allegations about my family,” she added.
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During the entire dispute, the 25-year-old star batter talked about how her family chose forgiveness and faith over conflict. She disclosed that they chose to remain silent and put their faith in God rather than address the accusations, which she feels that this choice was rewarded a year later with India's World Cup victory and her redemption knock.
“But as a family, we sat together and said, this is not our battle to fight. We knew our intentions were right, and we knew we hadn’t done anything wrong. God is our witness. So, we decided to stay silent, not to prove anything or fight back. We chose to forgive those who hurt us — because that’s what Jesus taught us, to forgive even those who wrong us.
"And honestly, I’ve seen how God turned it all around. Exactly a year later came that New Zealand semi-final knock and India winning the World Cup. Around the same time last year, we were in pain, but this year, God lifted us up and gave us double honour for every bit of shame we went through,” Jemimah added.
Jemimah scored 292 runs at a remarkable average of 58.40 in the recently-concluded Women's ODI World Cup. Her undefeated 127 against Australia in the semifinal, which helped India defeat the reigning champions in an incredible 339-run chase, certainly ranks among the best knocks in the tournament's history.
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