Mumbai's Jemimah selected for India squad, reveals how she overcame depression

Jemimah Rodrigues centre flanked by her father Ivan and mother Lavita with brothers Enoch left and Eli enjoys a selfie moment at Rang Sharda in Bandra yesterday Pic PRADEEP DHIVARWhen Jemimah Rodrigues 17 thanked God for her maiden selection into the Indian team yesterday it wasnt just a casual tribute to the Almighty for recognising her hard work It was an expression of gratitude she said for the success she achieved following a Bible reading habit which she inculcated not too long agoBandra resident Jemimah Rodrigues 17 was thrilled to see her name in the Mithali Rajled 16member team that was picked for the three ODIs against South Africa women which begins next month Jemimah the youngest member of the squad was selected in the Indian team on the basis of her superlative show in the U19 tournament for Mumbai and the recent Senior Challenger Trophy And she credits the Bible the holy book of Christians for the transformation in her performanceLike her family Jemimah too is a devout Christian who somehow makes time for church despite her hectic training schedule However two years ago all went downhill for the stylish batswoman and thats when her Biblereading began I had no performances to show I was trying everything but nothing was working for me I was very low on confidence At one point I stopped believing in myself Thats when my parents dad Ivan and mum Lavita encouraged me to read some scriptures from the Bible Jemimah told midday after a practice session last eveningShe particularly narrated the Jeremiah 2911 verse from the Bible For I know the plans I have for youhellip plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future The words had a strong impact on her she said I started to relate this to the tough phase I was going through I was completely lost and didnt know what my future would be When I read this I started to feel better I thought that when God has not given up on me why should I It started thinking positively I then played the Zonal Cricket Academy matches where I scored a half century in my third match itself It was like a new beginning for me said Jemimah who hasnt looked back since She slammed a century against Gujarat and an unbeaten 71 v Central Zone in the U23 tournament last year In the 2016 U19 season she hammered two hundreds and five half centuriesThe 201718 season was memorable too as she amassed 1013 runs in 11 matches in the InterState Womens U19 oneday tournament Jemimah began the tournament with a 178 against Gujarat before slamming a double hundred 202 not out against Saurashtra In all she plundered six centuries and a half century I became the first batswoman to notchup 1000plus runs in U19 cricket she said proudly Soon she was selected into the India A team for the series against Bangladesh Thereafter in the recentlyconcluded Challenger Trophy she emerged as the third highest rungetter with 179 runs in three matches for India Green I knew I had to be consistent at the senior level if I have to play for India Playing against top players was a huge learning curve for me I was aiming for this selection for the South Africa tour and Im very happy to have achieved it she concludedCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go