Jemimah Rodrigues' muddy jersey gets social media buzzing, fans draw parallels with Gautam Gambhir 2011 World Cup knock

Jemimah Rodrigues' muddy jersey gets social media buzzing, fans draw parallels with Gautam Gambhir 2011 World Cup knock

Jemimah Rodrigues led India into the ICC Women's World Cup final in Navi Mumbai on Thursday with an innings of pure grit and brilliance that immediately brought to mind the famous knock from the 2011 World Cup final by current Indian men's cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Gambhir had scored 97 against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede 14 years ago - and photos of his muddy jersey is still shared by fans, highlighting his commitment and effort on the pitch on that day.

Jemimah showed similar tenacity on Thursday evening at the DY Patil Stadium by orchestrating India's record-breaking chase with an undefeated 127 off 134 balls.

Also Read | 'I used to call my mom and cry': Jemimah Rodrigues opens up on anxiety battles at Women's World Cup

Interestingly, both Gambhir and Jemimah achieved the feat wearing the same jersey number 5, and batted at the exact position at number 3.

In the men's final, Gambhir's innings served as the foundation for India's successful chase of 275; on Thursday, Jemimah's masterclass helped India overcome Australia's formidable 338, the biggest successful chase in Women's World Cup history.

The feeling was aptly captured by the Kolkata Knight Riders' social media team, who shared a split photo of the two heroes along with the message, "No.3s being No.1s in the World Cups."

No.3s being No.1s in the world cups pic.twitter.com/Cr6LIWkYlg

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— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) October 30, 2025

Stain of mud? No, that's stain of PRIDE Jemimah Rodrigues does a Gautam Gambhir!#cricketworldcup#indiancricket#fblifestylepic.twitter.com/LJqAZSbw0g — Cricketangon (@cricketangon) October 30, 2025

Can 2011 Repeat in 2025 Gambhir Jemimah Rodrigues pic.twitter.com/TElHiP6Emd

— Ritika (@IloveRitika) October 30, 2025

Jersey with Mud holds a Legacy Jemimah Rodrigues X Gautam Gambhir pic.twitter.com/YG1LIzCsFF — Satya (@iamsatyaaaaaaa) October 30, 2025

Coming at one-down in a high-stress chase, persevering through early setbacks, and accepting responsibility with composed determination were striking similarities between the two knocks.

After the winning runs, Jemimah's emotional celebration and embrace of her family captured the spirit of the occasion. She had written her own chapter in India's World Cup legend, much like Gambhir did in 2011.