Indian cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues, who led India to their first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup title with a remarkable unbeaten century against Australia in the semi-final, has become the latest target of online hate from right-wing social media users after she publicly thanked Jesus in her post-match speech.
The 25-year-old batter, who was named Player of the Match, expressed gratitude for her faith after the semi-final victory. “I just want to thank Jesus. I couldn’t do this on my own,” she said during the presentation ceremony. “Towards the end, I was just quoting a scripture from the Bible — to just stand still and that God will fight for me.”
Her comments, which reflected her personal beliefs, triggered a wave of abuse from extremist users online, who accused her of promoting Christianity and engaging in conversions, though no evidence supports such claims.
Several right-wing accounts resurfaced old videos of Rodrigues attending church events with her father, Ivan Rodrigues, who is known to be involved in community outreach. One user wrote, “Jemimah Rodrigues used cricket as a tool for mass conversion. Show me one Indian who did such drama for religious conversion.” Another mocked her by calling her a “cheap copy” of Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Rizwan, adding that Hindu players “never invoke Bhagwan or Bhagavad Gita” after victories.
Some users even shared an old video of Rodrigues participating in a Christian prayer service, using derogatory captions and slurs like “rice bag converts.” Others mocked her faith after India’s World Cup win, suggesting sarcastically that “Jesus didn’t come to help in the final.”
Despite the online backlash, Rodrigues’ performance remains one of the highlights of India’s campaign. Her unbeaten century against Australia was crucial in taking India to the final, where they defeated South Africa by 52 runs to claim their first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup title.
Chasing a target of 299, South Africa were bowled out for 246 despite a fighting century from Laura Wolvaardt.
