Jemimah Rodrigues’ magical 127* that helped India chase down a world-record 339-run target against Australia in the semi-final of the Women’s World Cup was a game-changer in many ways. The innings gave India the belief that anything was possible. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side ultimately went on to win the Women’s World Cup by defeating South Africa in the final. While today Jemimah is the nation’s hero, a year ago things were different, as she was mired in controversy.
In 2024, Jemimah saw her club, Khar Gymkhana, cancel her membership after complaints were filed against her father, Ivan Rodrigues, for allegedly using the club’s premises to host unauthorized religious gatherings. According to Shiv Malhotra, a member of the managing committee of Khar Gymkhana, Ivan Rodrigues had been booking the Presidential Hall at concessional rates using Jemimah’s membership. These bookings were allegedly for organizing religious activities, which violated Article 4 of the Gymkhana’s by-laws.
Now, in an interview, Jemimah has broken her silence on the issue. “Sir, to be honest, I remember when that happened. It was one thing for me to face it, but when my parents were dragged into it for something we didn’t do, it really hurt. Everything we did at that time was according to the rules and regulations, and we had proof of that. But the allegations made against me and my family really affected us deeply because we had done nothing wrong,” Jemimah told India Today.
“That happened right after the World Cup in Dubai, where we hadn’t done well. I personally hadn’t performed to my expectations and was already feeling low. Then suddenly, I started seeing news, messages, and people saying terrible things about me – and worse, about my family and my church. That broke me. I remember my brother calling me, and I just started crying. I didn’t know what to do. It felt like one blow after another – first my performance, and then false allegations about my family.”
After the allegations, Jemimah’s father, Ivan Rodrigues, emphasized last year that the gatherings adhered strictly to the procedures of Khar Gymkhana and were in no way related to conversions, as certain reports suggested.
“In light of the recent and erroneous reports doing the rounds in the media, we would like to put on record a few facts. We had availed ourselves of the facilities at the Khar Gymkhana for the purpose of prayer meetings on multiple occasions, over a period of a year since April 2023. However, this was done in complete accordance with the procedures that Khar Gymkhana has in place, and in full knowledge of the office bearers,” he said.
“The prayer meetings were open to all and were in no way ‘conversion meetings,’ as they were wrongly labeled in articles in the media. When we were told to stop conducting the prayer meetings, we respected the stance of the Gymkhana and did so with immediate effect.”