Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | November 07, 2025

A lone warrior? No. "The Lord my God is in my midst. A warrior who gives victory." (Zephaniah 3:17).

Jemimah Rodrigues was never alone. Yet, she was indeed battling something within—battles we could not see. Battles she would later speak of openly, with honesty that disarmed a nation. It was only after that innings, that epic, strategic, decisive, anointed knock, that we understood the weight she had been carrying in her heart.

On the field that night, Jemimah Rodrigues was strength made visible. She stood between Australia and India. Between collapse and courage. Between the memory of failure and the possibility of resurrection. She fought fatigue. She fought doubt. She fought the whispering voice that tells you, “You might fail again.” And yet, she remained composed… bat steady, head still, eyes clear with purpose.

She was not playing for applause. She was playing for her team. For her country. For something far deeper.

And when the winning moment arrived, with Amanjot Kaur cutting one past backward point, the ball slicing through the gap, racing to the boundary, the Indian dugout erupted. Teammates sprinted towards her, arms stretched wide, joy unrestrained.

Jemimah heaved a sigh of relief. Exhausted. Whole. After hugging Amanjot, she fell to her knees, the tears now flowing freely.

“I cannot take credit. This is a team effort”

“I cannot take credit for this win,” she said later. “Every one of us contributed.”

This was not modesty. This was gratitude. This was recognition of team strength. This was knowing exactly where her victory came from.

Because this Indian women’s cricket team (this group of young women) truly plays for each other. They lift each other. They check on each other. They fight for one another. They celebrate each other’s success as if it were their own. Their bond is not manufactured for the cameras. It is lived in the moment. In the here and now.

This is what wins matches. Team first. India first. Not personal records. Not self-glory.

But behind Jemimah’s composure was a story of faith tested and faith restored.

She came into this match carrying the weight of questions—not just from the outside world, but from within. She had been benched against England. She had scrolled through comments calling her a “reels queen,” a “guitar influencer,” as though talent and authenticity can’t co-exist. Even her 76* against New Zealand would not silence the doubts. She wondered if her best still mattered.

When doubt crept in, she turned inward… and upward. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

From where does my help come from?

When she walked in at 13/1, with India chasing 338, a mountain that seemed impossible, she knew her help came from more than just statistics. It went beyond form and was beyond public opinion.

“I lift my eyes to the mountains. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2). Like David facing Goliath, she stepped ahead with her sling and stone. (1 Samuel 17:49)

It takes courage to bat the way she did. But it takes greater courage to admit you have struggled. To say: Yes, I felt weak. Yes, I broke down. Yes, I cried. To show the world you bleed.

Strength is not the absence of tears. Strength is the truth spoken through tears.

Sometimes strength looks like teammates placing a hand on your shoulder, silently, no pep talk, no grand gestures, just presence. Just, “I am here”. Sometimes strength is knowing you don’t have to pretend.

Caught in a storm…

For Jemimah, the battle did not begin on the pitch. It began long before, when she was trolled, mocked, and misrepresented for her faith. In October 2024, Khar Gymkhana terminated her membership, alleging that her father had organised “Christian conversion meetings” on the premises. There was no proof. No investigation. No fairness.

It was a storm. Loud, painful, public.

But one voice, one man, stood firm. Gymkhana President Vivek Devnani called out the politics behind the accusation. He reminded everyone that truth matters. His stand mattered more than we realise. Sometimes, one person standing with you is enough to stop you from drowning.

The Rodrigues family held on to scripture not as theory. It was a means of survival. “Blessed are you when people insult you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” (Matthew 5:11)

It is easy to quote scriptures when life is calm. It is another thing to live them when your name is dragged through mud. Yet, Jemimah did not retaliate. She did not answer anger with anger. She did not defend herself in the media. She stayed still.

Because: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14). He fought. She stood still. India watched in awe. It was a banquet in the presence of her foes. (Psalm 23: 5) Hers and India’s Cup was overflowing!

She remained unashamed of her faith, even after a career-defining knock, when the world expected her to dedicate the moment to technique, training, or grit. Instead, she used her two minutes with the media to speak of God’s goodness. Not forcing it, not dramatising it.

She was not preaching. She was witnessing. “Because you are neither hot nor cold…I will spit you out.” (Revelation 3:16). She refuses to be lukewarm. And that is what makes her dangerous… not to the opposition, but to fear.

Faith over fear. Team over self

This is not just the story of a cricket innings. This is the story of a young woman choosing faith over fear. Humility over ego. Team over self. Light over shadow.

Character is not built on easy days. Character is forged in fire. “For gold is tested in the fire, and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.” (Sirach 2:5)

Jemimah Rodrigues has many innings ahead of her. Many battles. Many more mountains to climb. And with grace, faith, and the strength of a team that refuses to let her fall, she will rise. And she will bring glory to India.

There is a lot to learn from Jemimah Rodrigues, and this women’s cricket team.

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