The Hundred | Jemimah Rodrigues signs up for Northern Superchargers

Jemimah Rodrigues has become the first Indian cricketer to ‘officially’ confirm that she has signed up to play in The Hundred as the 20-year-old, on BBC's Stumped podcast, revealed that she will be playing for the Northern Superchargers in the inaugural edition of the tournament. Rodrigues, 20, is no stranger to playing alongside top stars in England, having endured a stunning season in the 2019 Kia Super League representing Yorkshire Diamonds, and the young batter will once again be returning to the County to represent the Superchargers, which boasts big names such as Alyssa Healy and Nicola Carey. 

Rodrigues will be featuring in The Hundred in the months of July and August, but, before that, the right-handed batter will have an opportunity to make history, with her all set to feature in the one-off Test against England, India’s first since 2014. The 20-year-old will be one of more than half a dozen debutants for India in the longest format, and speaking to Sportstar, Rodrigues expressed her excitement to don the whites and described the opportunity to play Test cricket as a ‘dream come true’ moment.

“It’s very exciting. I remember when the women’s Ashes would go on, we would watch it on television and often wonder, “apna time kab aayega?” (when will our time come?). There is something special about those jerseys and we cannot wait to lay our hands on the whites and play Test cricket for India. Yes, there will be ODIs and T20Is, but Test cricket will always be something different. I am looking forward to it,” Rodrigues told Sportstar.

“Honestly, no one expected the Test match to happen so soon. We all knew that it would happen for sure, but no one thought that it would happen so quickly. So, everyone is excited. Yes, more than anything else, it’s a dream come true. Test match is all about the mindset and how I approach it. I will leave my past behind and approach it in a new way.”

India will kick off the tour of England with the one-off Test on June 16 in Bristol. The Tests will be followed by the ODIs and T20Is, post which Rodrigues, and several other cricketers, will stay back in the UK to partake in The Hundred.