Jemimah Rodrigues Leads India to World Cup Final with Record Chase Against Australia

Navi Mumbai: Jemimah Rodrigues scored a brilliant unbeaten 127 to guide India to the Women’s World Cup final after defeating Australia by five wickets in the semifinal on Thursday.

Chasing a tough target of 339, Rodrigues held the innings together with strong support from captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who made 89 off 88 balls. Deepti Sharma (24) and Richa Ghosh (26) added useful runs as India reached 341 for 5 in 48.3 overs, completing a record chase with nine balls left.

India will now meet South Africa in the final.

Earlier, Australia posted 338 in 50 overs, led by Phoebe Litchfield’s 119 off 93 balls. Ellyse Perry added 77, and Ashleigh Gardner scored 65 to take the total past 300. For India, young spinner Shree Charani took 2 for 49, while Deepti Sharma claimed 2 for 73.

For Australia, Kim Garth (2 for 46) and Annabel Sutherland (2 for 69) were the main wicket-takers.