Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle Episode 8 highlights: Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues on the 'unbelievable' World Cup win and their unusual entry into cricket

World Cup victors Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues sat down with Kajol and Twinkle Khanna for a celebratory and candid conversation on the latest episode of Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle. The women's cricket team from India gave an impassioned narrative of their recent World Cup victory, detailing their unusual backgrounds and the obstacles they conquered.

Victory for generations of Indian cricket

Not long after their historic success, Jemimah Rodrigues spoke about how the accomplishment meant a lot more than just to the present team. "It’s a dream, not just for us, but I think for every single Indian out there. And we’re so happy we could do it, and we’d also spoken about this: that this World Cup is not just for us, but it is also for the generation before us who set the foundation so that we could play cricket today. So I think this is everyone’s cup."

She captured the utter surprise and intense emotion of the moments immediately after the last wicket. "Woh jab last wicket gaya (when we took the last wicket), and we all won, I think we all ran towards Harry Di, who took the last catch. But none of us could believe what happened. It didn’t sink in. It’s like abhi bhi sapna dekh rahe hai ki yeh actually ho raha hai. (Are we dreaming, or is this actually happening?) Because we’ve dreamed about this our entire lives."

ALSO READ: Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle: Cricket World Champions Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma to grace special episode following historic victory

Discovering their start in cricket

Both cricketers revealed fascinating stories about how they got their starts in the game.

Jemimah opened up about how she was almost led to a different sport due to a family move and a simple gift. "I played cricket before I played hockey. We had moved from Bhandup to Bandra because there was a lot of travelling. And that was also a very big move, because Bandra is very expensive to stay in, and we came from a middle-class family. So, when I came there, one of my uncles gave me a hockey stick and said, ‘Go play; my daughter also plays.’ I played, and I started doing well in hockey too. And the funny story here is, I got selected to play hockey for the state before cricket for the state. So my friends were like, “Okay, Jemi is going to play hockey for India.” That’s what they thought."

Commitment to cricket over hockey

Even though she had a dual goal, she ultimately chose cricket. "At that level, I had reached a higher level in cricket than hockey, so then we went ahead with cricket. But my dream is still to play both for India."

As a substitute for her unwell brother, Shafali recounted the haphazard manner in which she participated in a tournament. "Mere bhai ko ek tournament mein jaana tha, and he got sick. Uske baad phir papa Sir ko phone kar rahe the ki ‘Mera beta nahi aa raha hai,’ toh maine bola, ‘Papa phone kaato jaldi, phone kaato.’ Toh maine bola, Main bhi toh jaa sakti hoon na; achi practice ho jayegi meri. I even had boy-cut hair. Aur mera bhai ke face se similar hai almost. Toh main khelne gayi, wahaan main ‘Player Of The Series’ aayi thi. Main uss time pe 11 saal ki thi. Toh woh bhai ka peeche jersey pe Sahil likhke main khel rahi thi." (My brother had to go to a tournament, and he got sick. After that, Papa was calling Sir and saying, 'My son is not coming,' then I said, 'Papa, hang up quickly, hang up.' Then I said, I can also go; it will be good practice for me. I even had boy-cut hair. And my brother's face is almost similar. So I went to play; there I got 'Player of the Series'. I was 11 years old at that time. So I was playing with 'Sahil' written on the jersey behind my brother.)

Jemimah's isolation in an all-boys academy

Being the only girl in her big, all-boys academy during her early years was difficult, according to Jemimah. "Initially when I started playing at a club, at that time, girls’ cricket wasn’t known. So there were no specific nets for girls. So my dad put me in an academy where there were all boys. I think there were 400 boys, and I was the only girl there. I remember we used to have this warm-up where you put your hand on each other's shoulder and you swing your legs to get the mobility going. But no boy would come to me. And then even if there was a guy who would come talk to me, later his friends would tease him about me. So nobody would really come and talk."

She went on to say that the setting, although isolated at first, helped her become more competitive in the end. "When you have a bat in hand, or a ball in hand, you just end up having so much more confidence being yourself. It actually helped us up our game. Because just imagine, ek ladki ek ladka ko boundary ya six; if they are hitting, it hurts the guy’s ego. So next ball they are going to come hard. But they prepared us to be tough growing up, I think."

Shafali finds inspiration in Dangal

Shafali, seeking a remedy for her depression, shared a film that resonated deeply with her personal experiences. "I’m someone who, main jab bhi down hoti hoon, main hamesha 'Dangal' movie dekhti hu, sach batau toh. Because I’m from Haryana, aur jitni cheeze uss movie mein hai, almost meri life se thodi bohot match karti hai. Toh jab bhi bhi mera down phase hota hai, main hamesha 'Dangal' movie dekhti hoon aur apne aap pumped up ho jaati hoon." (Whenever I'm down, I always watch the movie Dangal, to tell you the truth. Because I'm from Haryana, and almost everything in that movie matches my life a little bit. So whenever I'm in a down phase, I always watch the movie Dangal, and I automatically get pumped up.)

As Jemimah described the change in the team's musical taste, she was acting as their unofficial DJ. "Personally, I love slow, feel-good Bollywood music. When we started playing for the state, I used to only listen to English songs. But she was the one who started playing a lot of Bollywood songs. The team also bonds a lot more over Bollywood music. So now I listen to more Bollywood music. But yeah, it depends. If the DJ thing is like when we are dancing, then it’s Punjabi."

Where to watch full episode

You may watch the Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues special episode of Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle on Prime Video (subscribers of OTTplay Premium will also be able to watch the show with a top-up) right now.

FAQs:

Q: Who were the guests on Episode 8 of Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle?

A: The guests on Episode 8 of Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle were World Cup victors and Indian cricketers Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues.

Q: What was the significance of the World Cup win, according to Jemimah Rodrigues?

A: Jemimah Rodrigues stated that the World Cup victory was a dream for every Indian. She added that the win was also dedicated to the previous generation of women cricketers who had set the foundation for the current team.

Q: How did Shafali Verma start playing in a cricket tournament?

A: Shafali Verma started playing in a tournament by filling in for her sick brother, Sahil. She wore his jersey, had a boy-cut haircut, and ended up being named 'Player Of The Series' at the age of 11.