'We are more hungry to win again': Jemimah Rodrigues on India’s T20 World Cup mission

MUMBAI: After clinching their maiden Women's ODI World Cup last year, the Indian women's team wants to follow that memorable triumph by winning the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup in England this June-July as well, star batter Jemimah Rodrigues said here on Sunday.

“I think it's a bit of motivation now. Since we’ve won one, we want to win two,” Jemimah said when asked about how the team was preparing for the tournament, which is set to begin on June 12 and culminate on July 5.

“The preparation is going great. It didn’t just start after the squad came out. The first series itself was played against Sri Lanka after winning the 2025 World Cup. That day, I also came into the huddle and said this is where we start for the next World Cup,” Rodrigues said, flanked by head coach Amol Muzumdar and left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni at the IISM Degree Distribution Ceremony 2026 on Sunday.

On Saturday, the Indian women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur had said that her team was hungry and ready for the World Cup. Jemimah revealed that India was “even more hungry to win again and again.”

“I think it’s been great. Usually, after winning a World Cup, teams can get complacent. But this team is different. This team is even more hungry to win it again and again. So I think that’s the plan and that’s the entire motive,” Jemimah said.

Muzumdar acknowledged that his team would badly miss all-rounder Amanjot Kaur, who has been sidelined due to a serious back injury, for which she will require surgery.

“It is very difficult to replace somebody like Amanjot. She’s been consistently doing well for India. We will miss her for sure. But injuries are a part of the game. I guess she’s had a bad one, and she will be out of cricket for at least four to five months. So I hope that she recovers really well and comes back stronger. It’s difficult to replace her, but that’s the way it goes,” the Indian women’s team head coach said.

Muzumdar exuded confidence in his side, especially in light of the Indian women’s team winning a bilateral T20I series in England for the first time ever in July last year.

“We did have a very good T20 series last year. We went on to win against England. That was the first time in history that we beat England in England in a T20 series. So I think the experience is there, the confidence is there. All we need to do is travel well and play well,” he said.

After captaining Nandini Sharma in the Women’s Premier League while leading the Delhi Capitals, Rodrigues said she was happy to see the 24-year-old pacer from Chandigarh break into the Indian team for the first time, and that too in the 2026 T20 World Cup squad.