Suryakumar Yadav Touts Jemimah Rodrigues as Key Player for India in Women's World Cup 2025

Suryakumar Yadav has backed Jemimah Rodrigues to shine in the Women’s World Cup 2025. Jemimah, who made her ODI debut in 2018, will make her World Cup debut after seven years when India face Sri Lanka on September 30 at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.

She recently recovered from a viral fever, which caused her to miss two matches in the three-match ODI series against Australia. Suryakumar, currently playing in the Asia Cup 2025, praised her for staying calm and positive, always keeping a smile on her face even when things don’t go her way.

“I think for Jemi, the best way to describe her is ‘chhota packet, bada dhamaka.’ One thing that stands out about her is that she always has a smile on her face. No matter the situation—whether she’s on top or things aren’t going her way—she remains calm and relaxed,” Suryakumar said in a video uploaded on BCCI Women X.

Women's World Cup 2025 Full Coverage

“Playing in the World Cup is a great opportunity, and I’m confident she’ll deliver. She brings amazing energy to the ground, and her presence is infectious.”

‘Jemimah delivers under pressure’

Suryakumar also said the Indian men’s team learns a lot from Jemimah about performing in high-pressure matches.

“We also get to learn a lot from her in big, high-pressure games. She has performed under pressure, and that’s something we want to emulate. The key is to keep doing what you’ve been doing and just enjoy the moment,” Suryakumar added.

Jemimah made a decent start to her World Cup preparations after she scored 66 off 68 balls with eight fours in the warm-up match against England on Thursday, September 27 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru.

As for Suryakumar himself, he has had a tough time with the bat in the Asia Cup. The 35-year-old has scored 71 runs in five innings at an average of 23.66 and a strike rate of 107.57, with scores of 7 not out, 47 not out, 0, 5, and 12.