Young India batswoman Jemimah Rodrigues has been signed by Melbourne Renegades for the upcoming edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), it was announced on Wednesday.
It will be a debut season for the Rodrigues.
“For me, the main goal over here will be just to pull back and play cricket, play some good cricket and enjoy what I’m doing. I know when I do that and when I’m in that headspace, I’m able to give it my best,” Rodrigues was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
Although Rodrigues, 21, was not part of the Indian team that lost the ODI series 1-2 to hosts Australia however, she had a great outing in the recent Hundred series as she amassed 249 runs in seven innings.
“The goal is whatever happens, I want to give it my 100 per cent each and every time I’m on the field… and hopefully (we can win) the cup for the Renegades. I’m super excited, I’m really looking forward to it and there’s so much that I’m going to learn, I’m sure about that,” she expressed.
On the other hand, Renegades coach Simon Helmot expressed: “Jemimah is an immensely talented young player, who is already making her mark on the world stage at 21.”
“She was superb recently in The Hundred over in the UK. She’s is a dynamic player who can score quickly and to all parts of the ground,” Helmot added.
Earlier on Monday, India’s young batting sensation Shafali Verma and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav were acquired by Sydney Sixers.
Shafali, India’s youngest debutant in international cricket, had come up with stunning performances in Australia last year during the T20 World Cup and recently featured for Birminghim Phoenix in inaugural edition of The Hundred in Englnad.
On Sunday, she once again starred with the bat for India with a match-winning 56-run knock as as India upset the might Australian team, snapping a 26-game win streak.
Commenting on the development, Verma said: “This is a very good opportunity for me and my goal is to just enjoy myself, to make some new friends and have fun.”
“I want to play WBBL and back myself and just believe in myself,” she was quoted as saying by the Sydney Sixers website.
Earlier in June this year, Verma, a right-handed batswoman had became the youngest player, male or female, to represent India in all three formats of international cricket. She later featured in The Hundred under Sixers’ Head Coach Ben Sawyer.
On the other hand, Yadav was one of the discoveries of the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20, finishing as the joint-leading wicket-taker for India in the tournament and expressing his delight over the development, Sawyer said: “Radha brings a skillset that we have never had at the Sixers and that’s very exciting.”
Another Indian duo of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma were on Sunday signed as replacement players by Sydney Thunder for the upcoming season after the English duo of Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont was unavailable for the upcoming edition of the WBBL.