Jemimah Rodrigues credits Virat Kohli’s MCG performance for her match-winning display against Pakistan

Jemimah Rodrigues revealed that Virat Kohli’s MCG heroics in last year’s Men’s 20-20 World Cup inspired her match-winning knock against Pakistan in the Women’s 20-20 World Cup.

Rodrigues’ unbeaten half-century (53* off 38 balls) helped India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the opening match of the Women’s 20-20 World Cup on Sunday, February 12. India Women chased down 150 – their highest ever 20-20 World Cup chase thanks to a 58-run partnership between Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh (31 off 20*), which set the tone for their upcoming matches in the mega-tournament as well.

Rodrigues’ masterclass in Newlands, Cape Town was similar to Kohli’s blistering knock at the MCG during the 2022 Men’s 20-20 World Cup in Australia. The former India men’s captain played a heroic innings (82* off 53 balls) to help them defeat arch-rivals Pakistan by four wickets in a thrilling encounter.

I knew if we took it deep, we would win it: Jemimah Rodrigues

In an interview posted by International Cricket Body, Rodrigues said: “India vs Pakistan matches are always a little bit more special – we spoke about it in the team meeting. Growing up we always watched these matches. I remember watching the match at the MCG where Virat Kohli played such an extraordinary knock.

“We did speak about it but we also just wanted to go out there and put our first win on the board. We just wanted to go out, play the same cricket and with the same intensity as usual. I knew we had to build partnerships, and I knew if we took it deep we will win,” said the star batter.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s dismissal in the 14th over with India at 93/3 was a bit of a concern, but Ghosh’s attack against the Pak bowlers was a relief. Rodrigues who took the anchoring role of the Indian innings finished the procedure by smacking three fours in the 19th over.

“We knew they would bowl a bad ball eventually and we would capitalise – it was a difficult wicket but being set helped. This was a team effort. We will let the win sink in, but the tournament has just begun. We want to do the simple things correctly and then the results will take care of themselves,” Rodrigues added.

India will next face the West Indies in the ongoing 20-20 World Cup on Wednesday, February 15 in Cape Town.