Behind Jemimah Rodrigues’ smile — The battle you don’t see - video Dailymotion

She sings. She dances. She strums her guitar mid-tour. Scroll through Jemimah Rodrigues’ feed and you’ll see joy in every frame.

Transcript

00:00Behind that ever-smiling face is Jamima Rodriguez fighting her own demons.

00:06Scroll through her feet and it's hard not to smile.

00:09She sings, she dances, she strums a guitar mid-toe.

00:13Sometimes, she's doing...

00:14And somewhere in that grid between match clips and goofy reels is Jade.

00:19The Jack Russell terrier, her father gifted her on her 23rd birthday.

00:23Jamima was once mocked for being too active on social media,

00:26for laughing too loud, for dancing too freely, for simply existing unapologetically.

00:33On the field, she's the cricketer who turns cheerleader,

00:36getting the crowd to dance to every Bollywood beat.

00:39But the night India beat Australia, Jamima sank to her knees at the D.Y. Patel Stadium

00:44and the smile finally broke.

00:46At the press conference, her voice trembled, her eyes glistened.

00:50And then came the truth.

00:51A rare one in Indian cricket, a star admitting she wasn't okay,

00:55even as the world called her a hero.

01:01A child prodigy, who once followed her brothers to the cricket field

01:04because she couldn't sit still.

01:06Success came early and so did scrutiny.

01:08She wasn't picked for the 2022 World Cup despite being in form.

01:12And in 2025, it happened again.

01:14Dropped from a game in Indore,

01:16as the team experimented with combinations.

01:18She found herself back in that uneasy space,

01:21waiting, doubting and wondering if she still belonged.

01:24But this time, the wait was shorter.

01:28In the semi-final against Australia,

01:30Jamima was unbeaten on 127 off 134 balls,

01:34her knock taking India to the World Cup final.

01:37Afterwards, she spoke about the tears that didn't make it to the camera,

01:40the ones shed on the shoulders of people who stood by her.

01:43Her batting has always had its rituals.

01:45The little glove tap on the bat handle before each delivery,

01:48a rhythm that centres her, palm over bat, deep breath, focus.

01:52She did it 134 times that day, until India won.

01:56Hey guys, what's up?

01:58Even after winning, she brought out her guitar for celebration.

02:01But behind that energy is someone who's been quietly fighting her own mind.

02:05Someone who finds calm in her faith and in the quiet company of Jade.

02:08My God, it's the game for me, okay?

02:11Law.