'Resilience, belief and passion': Virat Kohli hails India's historic chase after Jemimah Rodrigues stars in World Cup semifinal win

Virat Kohli was one of the first people to congratulate India on their momentous achievement in the semi-final of the Women's World Cup 2025, as Harmanpreet Kaur's team stunned Australia in Navi Mumbai on Thursday night. The star batter for India took to social media to applaud the team's "resilience, belief, and passion" after Australia was chased down for 339 runs, the highest successful chase in women's ODI history. 

"What a victory from our team against a mighty opponent like Australia. Amazing chase by the girls and great performance by Jemimah, regarding big games. True resilience, belief, and passion showed with a great win, Team India," Kohli said on X (Twitter).

It was an occasion to remember at the DY Patil Stadium, introduced by Jemimah Rodrigues and her career-defining performances on the night. The 24-year-old's score of 127 not out of 134 balls took India to a famous five-wicket victory, with nine balls to spare. The partnership of 167 with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (89) broke the hold on Australia and set a series of records.

Since 2017, Australia had been undefeated in World Cups and seemed on track for yet another final after setting a challenging target of 338. But, in front of a raucous home crowd, Jemimah and Harmanpreet's partnership turned the tables. They combined smart aggression with cool-headedness, finding gaps and punishing weak balls to keep the chase in business.

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When Harmanpreet left in the 43rd over, India needed 55 runs, but Jemimah kept it together, carrying India home and calling in one of the more emotional recent victories in team history. As the winning runs were struck, both Jemimah and their captain were crying, the burden of years of heartbreak finally lifted.

Jemimah Rodrigues leads India to historic win over Australia to reach the Women’s World Cup final

For Jemimah, the innings was intensely personal. After being named Player of the Match, she cited her faith and family for getting her through the rough times. "First, I want to thank Jesus - I couldn't have done it on my own. The last six months have been really hard. I was dropped from the World Cup the previous year, and I cried every day for a long time. I went through times of anxiety but still showed up. God saw me through."

The victory also marked the conclusion of Australia's 15-match unbeaten run spanning two editions of the World Cup and paved the way for a new champion to be crowned this year. India will take on South Africa in the final on Sunday - the third occasion India has appeared in a Women’s ODI World Cup final - with hope, momentum, and history behind them.