India’s star batter Jemimah Rodrigues has finally broken her silence on the Khar Gymkhana controversy, speaking candidly about the emotional impact it had on her and her family. The issue, which gained widespread attention across cricket and social circles last year, resurfaced soon after her stellar showing in India’s recent World Cup-winning campaign.
The controversy dates back to October 2024, during Khar Gymkhana’s Annual General Body Meeting, when Jemimah’s father, Ivan Rodrigues, came under investigation for allegedly hosting around 35 gatherings linked to Brother Manuel Ministries over 18 months. These meetings reportedly involved religious activities a violation of the club’s rules prohibiting political or religious events on its premises. The situation escalated when a staff member reported the matter to former club president Nitin Gadekar, prompting the management to initiate official proceedings and call for a member vote, which ultimately led to the suspension of the Rodrigues family’s membership.
Speaking exclusively to India Today, Jemimah opened up about the “deep hurt” caused by the false allegations and the difficult period that followed, both personally and professionally.
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“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,” said Jemimah.
She recalled that the controversy struck immediately after India’s disappointing World Cup campaign, when she was already struggling with form and confidence.
“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,” she said.
“I’ve seen how God turned it all around,” says Jemimah Rodrigues
The 25-year-old batter revealed how her family chose faith, patience, and forgiveness instead of retaliation. She said they decided to stay silent and place their trust in God, believing that truth would prevail a decision that, according to her, was vindicated when India lifted the World Cup a year later.
“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,” Jemimah explained.
“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,” she added.
Jemimah’s powerful story of perseverance and faith culminated in her phenomenal performance at the 2025 ODI World Cup, where she scored 292 runs at an average of 58.40. Her unbeaten 127-run knock in the semifinal against Australia is already being hailed as one of the greatest innings in tournament history the moment that not only sealed India’s place in the final but also marked her emotional redemption.