Indian cricket star Jemimah Rodrigues took a drastic step to shield her mental peace during the high-pressure Women's World Cup. Following her match-winning performance in the semi-final, the batter was inundated with a flood of messages, forcing her to uninstall WhatsApp entirely from her phone to maintain her focus for the tournament's final.
The Overwhelming Flood of Messages
In a candid interview, Rodrigues disclosed the extreme level of unsolicited attention she faced. After her crucial innings in the semi-final, she received messages from approximately a thousand unknown numbers. This unexpected deluge of communication on WhatsApp became a significant distraction. The timing was particularly challenging as she was navigating the emotional high of the semi-final victory while mentally preparing for the ultimate challenge—the World Cup final.
"I don't know how random people started getting my number," Rodrigues told Cricbuzz. "I'm not even over-exaggerating, but I had 1000 WhatsApp messages. I couldn't take it because firstly, a lot had happened in that game. A lot of my emotions itself were there. I'm preparing for a final and the tournament is not over." She emphasized that despite the win, the job was incomplete, with the final still to be won.
The Decision to Disconnect
To reclaim her focus, Rodrigues made the decisive move to delete the WhatsApp application from her device. Before taking this step, she informed only a small, select group of close contacts about alternative ways to reach her. This allowed her to cut out the noise completely.
"Even if I was not reading the message, it was just buzzing. And I just knew that people were messaging me and I just wanted to prepare for the finals. So, till the finals, I didn't install WhatsApp," she explained. Her social media activity was also minimal during this period, limited to just one obligatory post-match update. She remained in this self-imposed digital exile until the conclusion of the World Cup final.
Life After the Tournament
Once the global event concluded, Rodrigues reinstalled her social media apps and returned online. The experience post-tournament was surreal for the young cricketer. Her feeds were dominated by content about her semi-final heroics and India's journey in the World Cup, a constant reminder of the intense public scrutiny.
"I've never seen such a sight, even till now, just randomly scrolling Instagram and suddenly my video or something comes up. Or someone is talking about me," she noted, highlighting the lasting and pervasive nature of the spotlight on her performance. This episode sheds light on the immense pressure and invasion of privacy that athletes, especially women in sport, can face during pinnacle moments, and the extreme measures they must sometimes take to protect their mental space and performance.
