Gymkhana ‘religious conversion’ row: Jemimah Rodrigues breaks silence on ‘false allegations’ | Cricket News
Indian women’s cricket team batter Jemimah Rodrigues has spoken publicly for the first time about the Khar Gymkhana controversy, which led to the suspension of her club membership last year. The controversy began in October 2024 when Khar Gymkhana terminated Rodrigues’ playing membership, alleging that her father had used her membership to book a hall for religious activities. Rodrigues, who became the first woman cricketer to receive membership in March 2023, denied any wrongdoing.Now nearly a year after the controversy, Rodrigues described the incident as one of the most difficult moments of her career.“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,” she said while talking to India Today.She added, “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.”Khar Gymkhana president Vivek Devnani had also denied the allegations at the time, calling them politically motivated ahead of the club’s elections.Recalling the timing of the controversy, Rodrigues said, “That happened right after the (T20) 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.”Rodrigues bounced back strongly in the 2025 ODI World Cup, scoring 292 runs at an average of 58.40. Her unbeaten 127 in the semifinal against Australia helped India chase down 339 to reach the final and eventually lift the title.
