Women's T20 WC 2020 | Indian opener Jemimah Rodrigues hoping to reach the final at upcoming T20 WC

Known for her flamboyant style of batting, Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues is all set to play her second Women's T20 World Cup in Australia next month. Talking to TV presenter Mel Jones on a WC podcast, Rodrigues shared the inexplicable feeling of representing her country at the world's biggest stage and turning her lifelong dream into a reality.

Talking about India's preparations for the mega event, she sounded optimistic about her side's chances of going into the tournament as the favorites (along with the home team).

"As a young kid I have always dreamed about playing the World Cup and not just playing, but doing well. And that too in packed stadiums. And this hasn't happened to me so far, I wasn't there in the 2017 World Cup. I can't put it in words, how important it will be for me to be a part of the Indian team that plays in a World Cup final. It's quite exciting. I'm really looking forward to it."

"I think it's [preparations] going pretty well. We have got a good couple of matches. Now we'll be going to Australia and we will have the tri-series. So, I think we have good match practice before the main tournament."

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Famous for her big-hitting skills, Rodrigues spoke on the technical changes that she was working on, keeping in mind the bouncy pitches in Australia. According to her, hitting sixes on the big grounds will be an uphill task but she was up for the challenge.

"I'm working more on my backfoot, developing my backfoot more and trying to increase my bat speed. Because looking at my size, you can make out I don't have that much strength to hit the sixes (laughs)... but I've been working on that for quite some time."

Rodrigues spoke highly of the home team, who have the most T20 titles to their name. She thinks that the in-form Australians, led by the charismatic Ellyse Perry, have set the standards pretty high and will be the team to beat if they want to win the elusive T20 crown themselves.

"I think when it comes to Australia, you got to be the best or you can't play. That's the kind of team they are. My favorite team to play against is also Australia. It's more of a mind game than just skills [when you play them on the field]."

"Aussies are naturally dominating and if you hold back a bit, they will sit on your head and not let you come up. So if you want to face them or do well against them, you got to bring your best game. You got to raise your standards."