NEW DELHI: Overcome with emotion after steering India into the Women's ODI World Cup final, a drained yet elated Jemimah Rodrigues described Harmanpreet Kaur's dismissal in the semifinal against Australia as a "blessing in disguise."

Faith, fire, folded hands and a flying kiss: Jemimah Rodrigues' night of glory

The 24-year-old crafted one of the finest knocks in tournament history, remaining unbeaten on 127 off 134 balls as India pulled off a record-breaking chase of 339 to secure their spot in the final against South Africa.

Jemimah built the platform for victory with a 167-run third-wicket partnership alongside skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (89). When Harmanpreet fell in the 36th over, the responsibility squarely shifted onto Jemimah's shoulders - but instead of crumbling under pressure, she rose to the occasion, guiding India home in stunning fashion.

"I was telling Harry di (Harmanpreet) that we both have to finish it," Jemimah told the media.

"When that (Harmanpreet's dismissal) happened, it was like a blessing in disguise for me because I was kind of losing focus because of tiredness. But when Harman got out, I think that added more responsibility to me that 'okay, I need to be here, okay, she's out, I'll score for her'.

"That again got me in the right zone (and) then I started just playing sensibly," said Jemimah.

An emotional Jemimah, who broke down multiple times during Thursday night's press conference, said it was her faith in God that helped her overcome moments of anxiety.

Virat Kohli in awe of Jemimah Rodrigues' heroics: 'A standout knock in a big game'

She revealed that each time she dropped to her knees during the innings, it wasn't just to catch her breath - it was also a quiet moment of prayer, a way to draw strength and calm from her faith.

"I was praying. I was talking to myself because actually I'd lost a lot of energy. I was feeling very tired, and because of the tiredness, I was playing a few shots that... it was a very tricky phase at that time," said Jemimah, who was dropped twice on 82 and 106.

"(I was thinking) 'should I go right now? Should I take it deep?' That was one learning for me, to just stay there (and) towards the end we (could) always take it deep.

"But yeah, I was praying, I was talking to God because I feel that I have a personal relationship with Him and when I cannot carry myself, he always carries me," she added.

Jemimah's charismatic innings came on the back of a tough phase where she was dropped but her teammates stood beside her.

"Nobody likes to talk about their weakness. I was going through a lot of anxiety at the start of the tournament. I used to call my mom and cry, cry the entire time, let it all out, because when you're going through anxiety, you just feel numb.

"You don't know what to do. You're trying to be yourself. In this time, my mom, my dad... they supported me a lot. There was Arundhati (Reddy) who I think almost every day I've cried in front (of).

"She checked on me every single day. There was Smriti (Mandhana) who helped me. She also knew what I was going through. (A) few of the nets sessions, she just stood there, didn't say much, but she just knows that her presence is important for me. There's been Radha (Yadav) who's always been there taking care of me," Jemimah added.

Jemimah said India were not daunted by the mammoth chase as they knew the DY Patil Stadium would favour those who spend time on the wicket.

"We knew that we've done it against this team, and I felt with the way Australia started, they were 30 runs short with the way they were going (and) with the start they (had) got," she said.

"DY Patil is such a pitch, any score is chaseable. My thought process was that I just had to be there because the runs will come, but I need to be there to get those runs," she said.

"Whichever team would have come in the semifinals, it would have been the same reply from our team because we don't want to play the team... we want to play the moment and win that moment," Jemimah added.

(With PTI Inputs)