Jemimah Rodrigues recalls when a cafe in New Zealand kicked out her, Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma and Smriti Mandhana

UPDATED: Sep 11, 2025 04:27 PM IST

Jemimah Rodrigues recalls when a cafe in New Zealand kicked out her, Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma and Smriti Mandhana

India senior batter Virat Kohli with wife and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma; India's Jemimah Rodrigues in action during an ODI against England.

Story Highlights:

Jemimah Rodrigues is gearing up for the ODI series against Australia starting later this week.

Virat Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma are living in London, England currently.

Rodrigues draws parallels between her approach and Kohli's.

Ahead of the three-ODI series against Australia starting September 14, India's star batter Jemimah Rodrigues recalled when she and Smriti Mandhana had a four-hour-long conversation with Virat Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma.

“He actually told Smriti and me that ‘you both have the power to change women’s cricket, and I can see that happening.’” Rodrigues recalled in a recent interaction with Mashable India.

Jemimah said that the conversation wasn’t just limited to cricket but life. She said jokingly that they were eventually kicked out of the cafe.

“It felt like a few long-lost friends who met and spoke. The only reason we stopped was because the cafe staff kicked us out,” she said.

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Rodrigues talked about Kohli’s intent and how her approach is similar to that of former India men’s captain.

“I admire his game because I find a lot of similarities. I love his intent, the energy he brings, the dominating mindset, and at the same time, he is someone who runs well. It is a very hardworking innings and that is why I look up to him,” the 25-year-old said.

Kohli and Anushka have moved to England. The senior India batter reportedly cleared his fitness test in London ahead of the three-ODI series on Australian soil. Kohli hasn’t returned to India since Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) win.

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Rodrigues’ interaction with Dhoni

Rodrigues also recalled her conversation with former India men’s captain MS Dhoni. Dhoni asked about the weight of her bat which is heavier than the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain.

“He asked me the weight of my bat. I said 1200 grams. He said you use a heavier bat than me. He is very down-to-earth and has an aura about himself,” Rodrigues said.

Harmanpreet’s India to warm-up for World Cup with Australia series

Rodrigues was seen in in action on England tour. In the home series against Australia, she will look to fine-tune her skills for the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025. India will begin their ODI World Cup 2025 campaign against co-hosts Sri Lanka at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.