JEMIMAH RODRIGUES IS HAVING THE TIME OF HER LIFE

In conversation with Man's World as a part of Hyundai Drive Within campaign, Jemimah Rodrigues take us through the drive within her that inspires her to be the best in her business.

It's been six years since Jemimah Rodrigues burst onto the international scene—just enough time for an elite athlete to get weathered by the rigours of professional sports, and lose some joviality of the younger days. Yet, Jemimah only seems to be getting younger. She has managed to preserve a sense of youthful joy and vitality, and of course her humour. What's her secret? "It's about enjoying what I am doing, and not taking anything too seriously," says Rodrigues, whose mere presence had brightened the dimly lit studio in Andheri, Mumbai. The 24-yearold has come for the Hyundai Drive Within campaign shoot with Hyundai Motor India Limited, a brand that recognised her immense potential before anyone else and has stood by her side.

Although the world knows her because of her cricketing exploits, that alone doesn't encapsulate her personality. She's a versatile cricketer, but also ingrained with a musical talent, and her humour would crack through the tense atmosphere of a dressing room—testified by her colleagues, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana. On tour with her team, the willow bat is not the only piece of wooden instrument she carries; she also takes her guitar everywhere. It's non-negotiable, and she'll be the first to admit how both are just equally important for her well-being. If the willow lets her spread joy among the nation through sumptuous strokeplays, the guitar is crucial for her own happiness–a way to relax and leave behind the outcomes of the match. She might not be a polymath, but she's not exactly a dilettante either, for it's not possible to become a household name as a cricketer without real commitment and persistence.