Jemimah Rodrigues breaks her silence at last on Gymkhana religious row: 'God gave us double honour for every shame'

The incident dates back to October last year during Khar Gymkhana’s Annual General Body Meeting, when Jemimah’s father, Ivan Rodrigues, came under scrutiny for allegedly hosting around 35 gatherings associated with Brother Manuel Ministries over 18 months. These meetings were said to involve religious activities, breaching the club’s regulations that prohibit political or religious events on its premises.

Tensions escalated after a staff member reported the issue to former club president Nitin Gadekar, prompting the management to initiate formal proceedings through a member vote.

Reflecting on one of the toughest phases of her life, Rodrigues opened up about the emotional toll the Khar Gymkhana controversy took on her and her family. Speaking candidly, she revealed how the false allegations came at a time when she was already struggling with poor form after the World Cup.

“Sir, to be honest, I remember when that happened. It was one thing for me to face it, but when my parents were dragged into it for something we didn’t do, it really hurt. Everything we did at that time was according to the rules and regulations — and we had proof of that. But the allegations made against me and my family really affected us deeply because we had done nothing wrong,” Jemimah said on India Today.

“That happened right after the World Cup in Dubai, where we hadn’t done well. I personally hadn’t performed to my expectations and was already feeling low. Then suddenly, I started seeing news, messages, and people saying terrible things about me — and worse, about my family and my church. That broke me. I remember my brother calling me, and I just started crying. I didn’t know what to do. It felt like one blow after another — first my performance, and then false allegations about my family,” Jemimah said.

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“I’ve seen how God turned it all around”: Jemimah Rodrigues

The 25-year-old star batter shared how her family chose faith and forgiveness over confrontation during the controversy. She revealed that instead of responding to the allegations, they decided to stay silent and trust God — a decision she believes was rewarded a year later with India’s World Cup glory and her redemption knock.

“But as a family, we sat together and said, this is not our battle to fight. We knew our intentions were right, and we knew we hadn’t done anything wrong. God is our witness. So, we decided to stay silent, not to prove anything or fight back. We chose to forgive those who hurt us — because that’s what Jesus taught us, to forgive even those who wrong us.

"And honestly, I’ve seen how God turned it all around. Exactly a year later came that New Zealand semi-final knock and India winning the World Cup. Around the same time last year, we were in pain, but this year, God lifted us up and gave us double honour for every bit of shame we went through,” Jemimah added.

Jemimah amassed 292 runs in the recently concluded ODI World Cup at an impressive average of 58.40. Her unbeaten 127 in the semifinal against Australia stood out as one of the finest knocks in tournament history, as she powered India’s sensational 339-run chase to knock out the defending champions.

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