Jemimah Rodrigues headlines historic chase as qualify for 2025 World Cup final

India carved a piece of history last night as they romped over Australia in what was a humdinger chase in the second semi-final of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 in Navi Mumbai. Drubbed before in the group stages, in another high-scoring encounter, India set foot in the semis, all persistent to carve a show for the ages.

Winning the toss, Australia opted to bat first. India got an early breakthrough as Kranti Gaud rattled through the defences of the Aussie captain, Alyssa Healy (5). Healy had a lifeline just a few moments ago only for her innings to be cut short by an inside edge onto her stumps.

However, Australia, the seven-time winners of the tournament, were not in this clash to go down or succumb so easily. In fact, the fall of Healy opened up a doorway of torment for the Indian bowlers. Phoebe Litchfield (119) and Ellyse Perry (77) started calling the shots and the Indian bowlers were left scratching their heads in search of answers.

Adding 155 runs for the second wicket and threatening to pile up a mountain more, Litchfield felt the sting of the Indian bowlers. Amanjot Kaur managed to peg back the stumps and remove Litchfield, applying brakes to the ongoing onslaught. Another fine partnership of 40 runs between Pez and Beth Mooney (24) was just starting to reignite the Australian hopes, when India dealt a double whammy to wrest back momentum.

Charani then removed Mooney and an incoming Annabel Sutherland (3) to let India breathe. Radha Yadav joined the act, claiming the big fish, Ellyse Perry, as India could sniff out a turnaround. Much to the woes of the Indian bowlers, their hopes were dashed out ruthlessly by Ashleigh Gardner as her 45-ball-63 propelled Australia to 338.

Charani and Deepti Sharma claimed two wickets each despite the latter going for quite a few runs. With 339 needed to win, it was as clear as daylight that India had to rewrite the history books if they were to make the cut for the grand finale where South Africa awaited.

Shafali Verma (10) got off to a fiery start, showing intent from the first ball itself. However, Kim Garth was quick to hammer through her defences as the ball crashed onto her pads, catching her plumb in front of the stumps. Mandhana (24) and Jemimah Rodrigues started knitting together a stand of substance as they added 46 runs for the second wicket.

An excellent review by Kim Garth drove a stake through the hearts of the Indian fans as Smriti Mandhana had to return to the pavilion. Wobbling at 59/2 and a mountain in sight, India started fighting back. Rodrigues combined with her skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur and started putting up a show as India were in no mood to be bullied. They gave a glimpse of their arsenal, hammering in those boundaries, every time the Aussie bowlers erred. India did get a handful of lifelines for sure as Australia, who are known for their immaculate fielding flair, made a hash of affairs on quite a few occasions.

The duo of Kaur (89) and Rodrigues (127*) knitted together 167 runs for the third wicket, offering India the platform to clinch a humdinger thriller. Kaur eventually fell to a slower one from Annabel Sutherland and India still had miles to cross.

Rodrigues continued her charge at one end while Deepti Sharma looked good for her knock of 24 runs. She kept the momentum going while Jemi would find the occasional boundary, not letting India drop their guards. The two added 38 runs for the fourth wicket as India kept on fighting. Sadly, for Deepti she fell short of her crease while attempting a run, allowing Australia a sniff back in the contest.

Richa Ghosh arrived in the center and she was a storm in a teacup, rocking and rolling the Aussies as she willed. Even a sloppy connection which saw the ball kissing the toe-end of her bat went sailing across the boundary ropes. A quick-fire 16-ball-26 from Richa saw India get into the driver’s seat. The threats for the Aussies was real. However, India too had their own baggage of late collapses, still scaring them.

When Ghosh fell to Sutherland, India were 310/5 and Amanjot Kaur who opened the innings in the last game against Bangladesh, walked out in the center. Jemi knew that she had to find her way through and she did so in style. Jemi and Amanjot added 31 runs in just 15 balls, leaving Australia flabbergasted.

It was Kaur who delivered the coup-de-grace as India eliminated Australia from the World Cup. It was a dream chase for the Women in Blue as they booked their final berth. Jemimah Rodrigues, who shone brighter than the Northern Star on the much-anticipated night, secured the Player of the Match award for her mind-boggling 127*.