Could India's win for the ages redefine women's cricket?

When Jemimah Rodrigues was trying to unit herself into nan India women's broadside arsenic a teenager, she trim retired a photograph of her look and stuck it complete an image of nan nationalist team's jersey.

She told nan No Balls podcast backmost successful 2021 that she would look astatine it each azygous time for motivation, refusing to suffer show of nan dream that started for a four-year-old woman playing thoroughfare cricket pinch her brothers.

On Thursday, nether nan agleam lights of Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium, she played 1 of nan all-time classical one-day world innings, successful 1 of nan top games, to lead India to a World Cup last astatine nan disbursal of defending champions Australia.

It is singular to deliberation that conscionable 11 days agone Rodrigues was dropped for India's group shape crippled against England, which they mislaid by 4 runs.

But nether nan highest unit and against nan world's best, she vanished unbeaten connected 127 successful a successful pursuit of 339 - a women's ODI grounds - pinch each tally greeted by a roar from a packed crowd that was witnessing history unfold.

Rodrigues sunk to nan crushed successful exhaustion erstwhile Amanjot Kaur deed nan winning boundary, incapable to incorporate nan tears arsenic nan magnificence of her accomplishment deed home.

She subsequently revealed successful nan news convention that she had "cried almost each time of nan World Cup pinch anxiety".

Known for her bubbly characteristic and infectious grin nary matter what she does connected nan field, this was a different broadside to Rodrigues - 1 of grit and determination successful an innings of axenic class.

She was already a prima - but now has a chance to spell stratospheric.

India and Australia person history successful World Cups.

There was Harmanpreet Kaur's unforgettable 171 astatine Derby successful 2017 to seal India's spot successful nan final, and nan near-miss successful nan T20 semi-final astatine Cape Town successful 2023 arsenic nan aforesaid player's bat sewage stuck successful nan crushed arsenic she was crucially tally out.

These 2 teams had already played retired nan champion lucifer of this tournament's group stage, pinch Alyssa Healy's broadside chasing 331 connected that occasion.

Thursday's thriller was different illustration of India and Australia taking nan crippled to caller levels.

Phoebe Litchfield's stunning 119 group up Australia's 338, supported by half-centuries from Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner, arsenic India were tally ragged successful nan field.

At nan halfway shape Australia's eight-year unbeaten tally astatine 50-over World Cups looked almost definite to continue.

However, specified was Rodrigues' brilliance - her velocity betwixt nan wickets, her invention by shuffling crossed her stumps, her pinpoint expertise to prime nan gaps betwixt fielders - that nan usually unflappable Australia were rocked.

Healy and Tahlia McGrath put down elemental chances, and nan squad that had not mislaid a World Cup crippled since Harmanpreet's epic were near stunned.

The batting was arguably of nan highest value that women's cricket has ever seen - but of wider value is what an India triumph astatine a location World Cup could mean.

They look South Africa successful Sunday's showpiece, meaning a caller victor will beryllium crowned for nan first clip since 2000.

Both finalists are chasing history - but an India triumph could catapult nan women's crippled to caller heights successful position of scope and investment.

"The gait astatine which women's cricket is increasing successful India is unbelievable," erstwhile IPL batter Abhishek Jhunjhunwala told BBC Test Match Special.

"Girls person started playing connected nan streets pinch boys, which you ne'er utilized to spot happen. They want to beryllium a Jemimah Rodrigues aliases a Deepti Sharma.

"It is simply a due profession now for women. If India spell connected to triumph this World Cup, this will alteration women's cricket. The crippled is increasing quickly worldwide but successful a commercialized aspect, this will alteration drastically."

Around nan stadiums successful India, nan displacement is evident successful nan sheer number of boys and men wearing shirts base nan names of Smriti Mandhana aliases Harmanpreet, and nan crowds person been electrical for nan hosts' games.

The Women's Premier League, India's T20 franchise competition, has started nan game-changing process pinch nan salaries connected connection to players. But based connected this sensational semi-final, that could beryllium to beryllium conscionable nan beginning.