Jemimah Rodrigues Ruled Out of Remainder of Australia ODI Series With Viral Fever

Tejal Hasabnis will be India's replacement for middle-order batsman Jemimah Rodrigues for the next two matches of the ODI series against Australia at home after Rodrigues was ruled out due to a viral illness.

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By Emilia Blake
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Australia ODI Series

Photograph: (Source: The Cricket Monthly)

Star batsman Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the match due to a viral fever and resulting frailty, which has dealt a serious blow to India's ambitions of winning the three-match ODI series shortly before the World Cup later this month. Given that India needs to win Wednesday's match to remain in the series, Rodrigues' presence in the middle order would have been vital even if she only managed 18 runs in the opening ODI against Australia on Sunday, September 14.

Before the second ODI of the three-match series in New Chandigarh, the BCCI announced the news. Rodrigues will continue to be monitored by the Indian medical staff. On Wednesday, September 17, Arundhati Reddy took Rodrigues' position in the Indian starting lineup. On September 14, at the same location, India lost the first ODI by eight wickets, and Rodrigues was a member of their XI. At No. 5, she helped India reach 281 for 7 with 18 off 26 before Australia hammered the mark with eight wickets and 35 balls remaining. 

Jemimah Rodrigues Out of Australia ODI Series:

Rodrigues has amassed 479 runs at an average of over 48 in 11 One-Day Internationals this year, including two hundreds. She hasn't played this well since 2023, when she amassed 255 runs at an incredible average of 63.75 in five games. If India were to post difficult totals without Rodrigues, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma will have to demonstrate a willingness to bat long and deep. A total of 300 or more could seem adequate against Australia, and nothing less.

With a single half-century against Ireland in January, Hasabnis, a 28-year-old middle-order batswoman, has played six ODIs in her brief career and amassed 140 runs at an average of 46.66 and a strike rate of 78.65. In October of last year, she played her first 50-over match against New Zealand. Prema Rawat and Priya Mishra are standbys for the series, and the rest of the team is unaltered. Australia is now ahead 1-0 in the series. Delhi will host the third and final match on September 20.

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