‘Jemimah can walk into the Indian hockey team’: Joaquim Carvalho

Olympian and former India hockey coach Joaquim Carvalho has seen Indiarsquos latest batting sensation Jemimah Rodrigues wield her hockey stick during her school days when she represented St Josephrsquos High School Bandra at the MSSA interschool competition She later went on to represent Maharashtra in U17 hockey before eventually switching to cricket However Carvalho even today vouches for her hockey skillsJemimahrsquos early hockey daysldquoJemimah used to come to the St Stanislaus ground in Bandra as an eight or nineyearold to practice hockey and back then I had told her father Ivan that if she sticks to hockey she can play for the country Of course she chose cricket and shersquos excelling there too but I saw her playing rink hockey not too long ago and she was very skilful with her dodges And yesterday Thursday her century in those energysapping conditions proves that her fitness is topnotch Given modern hockey needs skill and fitness I have no doubt that she can walk into the Indian womenrsquos hockey team currentlyrdquo Carvalho told midday a day after Rodriguesrsquos 127 not out helped India beat the mighty Australians in the Womenrsquos World Cup semifinal at the DY Patil Stadium Carvalho was referring to the time when Rodrigues turned up to play rink hockey for Unclersquos Kitchen United at the Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana tournament after being dropped from the India squad for the 2022 ICC Womenrsquos ODI World Cup in New ZealandRink hockey stint in 2022Ronnie DrsquoSouza owner of UK United revealed how Rodrigues joined his team ldquoAdrian DrsquoSouza former India hockey goalkeeper was the coach of our womenrsquos team and Jemimah got in touch with some of her St Josephrsquos Bandra friends expressing her desire to play She was an absolute professional She was a big name in Indian cricket even then but there were no tantrums Instead she was highly disciplined and willingly travelled from Bandra to Malad for our practice sessions She would reach early and be among the last players to leave In our first match I remember she scored two goals inside 60 seconds and then converted a penalty stroke to complete her hattrick She then set up teammate Vasudha Shetty with a neat pass in front of goal to complete the tally as our team beat Sea View 42rdquo DrsquoSouza told middayOlympian Joaquim Carvalho Olympian Mervyn Fernandis and UK Unitedrsquos Ronnie DrsquoSouzaOlympian Mervyn Fernandis was also among the dignitaries who watched Rodrigues play at the WCG rink hockey ldquoI always felt Jemimah is a natural with the hockey stick but watching her 127 against Australia on Thursday I have no doubt that shersquos equally flawless with the cricket bat too The best thing about her is that she enjoys herself out there whatever the sport When she was playing rink hockey she was so passionate and excited while scoring those goals and even encouraging her teammates throughout Similarly on Thursday she was constantly talking to herself and giving her partners the thumbsup after every runrdquo said FernandisMeanwhile UK United owner DrsquoSouza a restaurateur is waiting for Rodrigues to win the World Cup as her father has promised him a gift ldquoI had told Jemimah and her father in 2022 that she would make a comeback to the Indian cricket team and would not just play but also win the next World Cup And when that happens she should give me an autographed India jersey which I will proudly display in my restaurant Her father replied with lsquoAmenrsquo a Hebrew word meaning so be it Right enough after the 2022 World Cup she was picked for India again and Irsquom sure she will win the World Cup on Sundayrdquo