Jemimah hungry for T20 World Cup success after 2025 glory
India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has set her sights on bringing home the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title.
The 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup triumph has sparked a renewed hunger in Jemimah Rodrigues and India, as they set their sights on securing back-to-back ICC titles at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, starting 12 June.
As Rodrigues revealed, that drive was ignited almost immediately after their 50-over World Cup success, when the squad regrouped for the first time following their triumphant night on 2 November.
“I think it's a bit of motivation now. Since we’ve won one, we want to win two,” she said at the IISM Degree Distribution Ceremony 2026 in the presence of head coach Amol Muzumdar, who was also in attendance.
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"Our preparation has been strong. It didn't just begin after the squad announcement. Right after the 2025 World Cup, during our first series against Sri Lanka, coach Amol Muzumdar told us, 'This is where we start for the next World Cup.' So we've been preparing from day one."
India’s squad for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, announced on 2 May, threw up a notable talking point with the inclusion of uncapped pacer Nandani Sharma.
Yet to make her international debut, Nandani has been fast-tracked into the setup on the back of an impressive campaign in the Women's Premier League, where she featured under the captaincy of Jemimah Rodrigues at Delhi Capitals and picked up 17 wickets in 10 matches.
"Nandani has been fantastic for us,” she added. “She proved herself not just in one game, but consistently across matches. With the experience in this squad, we're confident she'll flourish on the big stage.”
Nandani Sharma has been tipped to fill the significant void left by the absence of Amanjot Kaur, who has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to injury.
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Amanjot has been a key figure in India’s white-ball setup and played a crucial role in their 2025 triumph, making her absence in the UK a big blow, particularly given her value as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
“She is injured and it is very difficult to replace somebody like Amanjot. She has been doing consistently well for India,” Muzumdar said, a sentiment that was also echoed by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur in the press conference after the squad announcement.
“We will miss her for sure, but injuries are part of the game and she has had a bad one and she will be out of cricket for at least 4-5 months. I hope she recovers well and comes back stronger. She is difficult to replace but that is the way it goes,” he added.
Placed in Group A alongside Australia, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on 14 June.