India hero Jemimah Rodrigues revealed that she "almost cried every day" during the World Cup so far as she guided her country to the final.

Chasing down a Women's ODI record total of 339, Rodrigues scored an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls to help defeat Australia in the semi-final.

Indeed, it was Australia's first defeat in 16 ODI World Cup matches, while there will be a new name on the trophy when India face South Africa in the showpiece match on Sunday.

After experiencing a difficult tournament, which saw her get dropped against England, and a late change to the batting line-up, Rodrigues was filled with gratitude after her performance.

"I thought I was going to bat at number five," said Rodrigues. "I was taking a shower, and when the discussion was happening, I told them 'Let me know.' Just five minutes before entering, I learnt I would be at number three.

"But I didn't think about me. It was not for me to prove a point; it was just to win the match for India because we have always lost in crunch situations. So I wanted to stay till the end to take us through.

"Last time [in 2022], I was dropped from this World Cup. This year, I came in, I thought, 'OK, I'll try.' But things back-to-back just happened, and I couldn't control anything. I had amazing people around me who believed in me.

"I almost cried every day through this tour. I was not doing well mentally, going through a lot of anxiety. Getting dropped [against England] was another challenge to me. All I wanted to do was show up, and God took care of everything.

"I feel everything that happened was just a set-up for this. It was really hard, this last whole month. It just feels like a dream, and it hasn't sunk in yet."

One step closer to history 

India pull off a chase for the ages and storm into the #CWC25 Final #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/rMgZUIyFC3

— ICC (@ICC) October 30, 2025

Australia dropped Rodrigues twice during her innings and failed to take one further catch as they were far from their usual best in the field.

Captain Alyssa Healy, who was one of the players to drop a catch, believes Australia shot themselves in the foot with their fielding display.

"I think we created enough [chances]. We created pressure," Healy said.

"We created opportunities. We just weren't able to capitalise. And, you know, I'm at fault for that as well, and I think that's something that Australia really prides themselves on.

"We kind of let ourselves down in that regard today. So that's probably why it's disappointing."