World Cup success has Rodrigues primed for Champions Trophy

India lifted their maiden ICC Women's Cricket World Cup on home soil last year, giving experienced batter Jemimah Rodrigues and her teammates a taste of what it takes to win an international event.

With the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy now firmly in their sights, rather than easing the pressure to achieve more, that success has fuelled the team’s desire to replicate the feeling, in the eyes of Rodrigues.

"We’ve tasted success once, and we know what it feels like to be at the top. The more you taste it, the more you want to be there,” Rodrigues said on Jio Star’s Follow the Blues.

"Our team is working towards that, and yes, the Champions Trophy is going to be very special. It’s happening for the first time ever in women’s cricket, and I’ll be a part of it for the first time as well, so it’ll be pretty special, and I’m really looking forward to it."

Despite the significance of the new tournament, Rodrigues insists India’s approach will remain unchanged as the one that has brought them success in recent years.

"I think mindset-wise, nothing changes. At the end of the day, it’s about the team and how to make the team win, and that always stays," she added.

The inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy set to be held early next year, will provide India with another opportunity to compete for an ICC title following their success on home soil late in 2025. 

Before turning their attention fully towards the Champions Trophy, India will face a challenging multi-format assignment in South Africa in December.

The tour will feature seven matches across all three formats, beginning with a one-off Test in Gqeberha from 9 December. A three-match ODI series will follow from 16 December before the teams meet in three T20Is from 26 December.

Rodrigues is relishing the prospect of another series against the opponent India defeated to clinch their maiden ICC title and have faced regularly in recent times.

“It’s going to be a really exciting series for sure. Both teams have been doing really well. We’ve had a lot of rivalry lately and played a lot of matches against South Africa,” she said.

“I think it’s going to be great, with two of the top teams in the world facing each other in South Africa. It’s going to be a great challenge, and we’re really looking forward to it.”

Rodrigues, who has been a mainstay in the Indian lineup with close to 200 caps, was most recently in action for Southern Brave in The Hundred 2026, where she played a key role in the team’s run to the playoffs with 143 runs across six games. 

The India batter produced two Player of the Match performances before an untimely hamstring injury brought her campaign to an early end, raising concerns ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup commencing later this month.