In the glow of India’s thrilling semi-final win at the Women’s World Cup, Jemimah Rodrigues found herself at the centre of a whirlwind she was not prepared for. Her brilliant knock had pushed India into the final and turned her into the face of the moment but the sudden rush of attention quickly became overwhelming. What should have been a quiet window to recover emotionally and prepare for the most important match of her career instead became a battle to protect her own peace.
Jemimah Rodrigues said that almost immediately after walking off the field, her phone started buzzing nonstop. Unknown numbers from all directions were sending messages of praise, excitement and requests, and within hours, she had received nearly a thousand texts on WhatsApp alone. She was already overloaded with emotions from the high-pressure semi-final and the intrusion made it almost impossible to gather herself. She tried to stay focused on the task ahead, reminding herself that India still had a World Cup final to win but the constant notifications kept dragging her away from the mental space she needed.
The situation grew so overwhelming that Jemimah Rodrigues eventually took a step she never expected — she uninstalled WhatsApp. She said even when she did not open the app, the buzzing and the awareness that people were flooding her with messages left her on edge. So she told a small circle of close friends and family how to reach her and cut off the rest. For the remainder of the tournament, she stayed offline, choosing to protect her preparation rather than getting swept up in the noise of sudden stardom.
Jemimah Rodrigues briefly logged in after the semi-final to share a quick update for her followers but then disappeared again, staying off social media entirely until India’s campaign ended. The peace and clarity she gained from that quiet stretch helped her stay anchored as she processed the emotional weight of the semi-final and the responsibilities that followed.
When Jemimah Rodrigues finally returned to her online platforms, the volume of content waiting for her felt unreal. Everywhere she looked, on Instagram, in videos, in fan-made edits, she found reminders of that one match and the impact it had created. She admitted that even now, weeks later, she is still surprised when she randomly comes across her own clips or sees strangers celebrating her performance.
For Jemimah Rodrigues, the experience was a reminder of both the beauty and the burden that come with sporting fame. It was a moment of triumph, yes, but also a lesson in how quickly attention can spill over and how important it is for an athlete to carve out space for themselves in the middle of it all.
