"Harman’s dismissal was a very unfortunate one" - Jemimah Rodrigues reflects on India's five-run loss to Australia

Indian middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues rued the five-run defeat to Australia in the first semi-final of the 2023 T20 World Cup in Cape Town on Thursday. Rodrigues suggested that the wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur was the turning point of the game.

Kaur was unfortunate to be run-out in the 15th over of the game as her bat was stuck while running towards the striker's end to complete two runs. At that stage, India needed 41 off 34 deliveries and the captain was on 52, having hit two boundaries in the first two balls of the same over.

Speaking after the game, the 22-year-old reflected that India were in control for most of the game but stumbled towards the end. However, she vowed that every player will work hard moving forward.

As quoted by ICC, the youngster stated:

"We were going well. We had it under control. If you had seen most of the times, we were above them in every phase. Just the last phase we messed up. But yeah it’s a tough loss to take. Harman’s dismissal was a very unfortunate one. I don't know what to say. I don't think anybody's happy. Everyone's disappointed, but at the same time, this is like a learning experience. And I promise you that every single girl is going to work very hard."

Australia had earlier elected to bat first and put on 172, headlined by a half-century from Beth Mooney and an unbeaten 49 from Meg Lanning. The Women in Blue recovered well after losing three wickets early on, but could not get the required 11 runs off the final over.

"This team shows a lot of promise" - Jemimah Rodrigues

Jemimah Rodrigues. (Credits: Getty)

Opening up on the positives, Rodrigues, who scored a brisk 43, believes Richa Ghosh can be the finisher India needs and earmarks the team to be a real competitor in the years to come. She added:

"I think the first one will be the rise of youngsters like Richa. This India team is searching for a finisher and she can be the one, and she is actually the one for us. This team shows a lot of promise. And if you go to see how average age is, it’s around 24, so I imagine that we’ll be giving this Australian team competition a few years down the line."

Australia will either face England or South Africa in the final to try and win their third successive T20 World Cup title.