‘You can’t be defensive against them’ – Jemimah Rodrigues ahead of must-win World Cup clash against Australia

After opening their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with victories over Pakistan and the Netherlands, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side suffered a six-wicket defeat to South Africa in a crucial Group A encounter on June 21. The loss left India with little margin for error, making their remaining fixtures against Bangladesh and Australia virtual knockout games.

Having crossed the Bangladesh hurdle, India now face six-time champions Australia at Lord’s in what is effectively a quarter-final, with a place in the semi-finals hanging in the balance.Ahead of the high-stakes contest, India batter Jemimah Rodrigues spoke about the mindset required to overcome the Australian challenge during.

The right-handed batter stressed that India cannot afford to sit back against the defending giants and instead must look to match their aggressive brand of cricket.

“The thing about Australia is that they never let you settle. They are always attacking, always putting pressure. If you want to do well against them, you can’t be defensive. You must dominate and take the game to them and our team enjoys that challenge. We know there is no other way. You must match their intensity and stay ahead. That kind of mindset works well for us,” she said while speaking to JioStar’s ‘Champions Huddle’.

“Shafali Verma has played a lot against them. Renuka has also bowled well against Australia in the past. Most of our players have good experience against them. We have faced them many times. But on the day, it all comes down to execution. We just need to go out there, back ourselves, and play with that aggressive intent. If we do that, I think everything will fall into place,” she continued.

India head coach Amol Mazumdar also shared his thoughts on the team’s evolution since taking charge in October 2023. He revealed that one of the primary objectives was to reset the dressing room culture by introducing a fresh mindset, clearer roles, and greater accountability among the players.

“When I joined the team as head coach in October 2023, there was a need for a reset in the dressing room. The team needed a shake-up, a change in mindset, approach, and attitude. We introduced new systems, new roles, and challenged the players to take more responsibility. The players responded well to the changes we brought in. They bought into the new plans and started backing each other. The results on the field are there for everyone to see. This Indian women’s team is very different from what it was two years ago,” he said in the same show.

Mazumdar believes the changes have paid off, with the team showing significant improvement over the last two years. He also pointed to India’s historic 2-1 T20I series win in Australia as proof that they are capable of defeating the six-time world champions on the biggest stage.

“Talking about Australia, they are a very strong side. Everyone knows that. They have world-class players in every department. But so are we. We are not behind them in any way. We went to Australia and beat them 2-1 in a T20 series. That was the first time India has ever beaten Australia in a T20 series. That win gave us a lot of belief. We can take confidence from that and prepare ourselves well for the World Cup clash,” he concluded.

India will now hope to replicate that historic series success when they take the field at Lord’s. With a semi-final berth on the line, Harmanpreet Kaur and her side will need to produce one of their best performances against Australia. 

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