'Got inspiration from him': Jemimah Rodrigues credits Virat Kohli for her incredible knock

Team India cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues became the talk of the town for the cricketing world on Sunday, after her match-winning knock against Pakistan in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023. India were off to a flying start in the marquee tournament as they defeated their arch-rivals by seven wickets in the penultimate over of the match. Jemimah remained unbeaten after hitting 53 runs in 38 balls, while Richa Ghosh was not out on 31 runs off 20 balls.

Jemimah and Richa Ghosh notably added 40 runs to India’s total in the last three overs they played in the second innings. They stitched together an unbeaten partnership of 58 runs in 33 balls for the fourth wicket stand, chasing down a target of 150 runs with an over remaining. After winning the match, Jemimah notably credited Virat Kohli for her stellar innings.

"Virat Kohli played such an extraordinary knock"

In an interview shared by the ICC, the 22-year-old 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,” she added.

Virat Kohli's heroic 82* against Pakistan at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Facing Pakistan at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, Kohli played one of the best knocks of his T20I career against Pakistan. The former India captain remained unbeaten after scoring 82 runs in 33 balls and helped India chase down the target of 160 runs in the final ball of the match. India notably scored 48 runs off the final 18 balls of the match to emerge as the winners.

Coming back to the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, India is up against West Indies in their next game on February 15. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team will then face England on February 18. The Women in Blue will face Ireland women in their final group stage match on February 20.