Rodrigues' first WPL 50 was also perhaps her most influential T20 knock.

It's been a Jemimah Rodrigues ritual this WPL in all of Delhi Capitals' batting innings so far. She's often the first to run in as soon as the strategic time-out is signalled - pads on, helmet firmly strapped on - and is the most animated member of the conversation in the middle. She laughs off the part about gathering early intel during this exercise; but does admit it's not her to walk in to bat straight after being seated in the dugout for six to nine overs at a stretch. "Soaking in the atmosphere" just helps get her switched on much before she actually takes guard.

During her batting partnerships, be it with the experienced Meg Lanning or Marizanne Kapp, or the teenaged Alice Capsey, it's difficult to tell who is coaching whom. A bear hug from Rodrigues is awaiting every half-centurion as soon as the milestone is reached. She celebrates her bowlers' successes like her own. After pulling off a boundary-line blinder of a catch in DC's homecoming at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Tuesday, Rodrigues, running in all the way from long-on, is the first one to give a congratulatory head-pat to Titas Sadhu, who had just picked up her maiden WPL wicket.

Whether in Mumbai last year, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium the last couple of weeks or in Delhi tonight, boundary-rider Rodrigues is also the crowd conductor. In turn, she admittedly feeds off that energy herself all the time. They'll ask for photos, she'll pose between deliveries. They ask for a dance move, she'll happily do the floss. She'll then egg them on from time to time, and the crowd invariably obliges.

This side of Rodrigues isn't exactly new but has also constantly come under scrutiny. When the performances are not as high voltage, the questions start to pile up. Questions on form and strike-rates most notably.

Under that unsaid pressure, it's natural to get caught in the trap of trying to be someone you're not. Of trying to muscle every ball into stands and failing spectacularly. Two low scores to end the Bengaluru leg of WPL 2024 had already given way to the 'lean patch' narrative, overshadowing the blistering start she made in the competition.

The intent in her batting has been there to see all along. Whether it was on the tournament's opening night, against the same opponent, where she mixed aggression with street-smarts to help DC to an above-par total or the first-ball four next game to wrap up the chase without wasting any time settling-in. In both the low scores that followed in DC's victories - the duck against RCB and a 10-ball 7 versus Gujarat Giants - Rodrigues got out attempting expansive areial shots after feeling the pinch of consuming one too many early dots. While the intent was right, the execution went awry.

Luckily for the support system she counts herself fortunate enough to have, Rodrigues was able to snap out of it before it became a habit.

Per usual, she kept busy from the word go against Mumbai Indians even if not finding her timing early in her knock. She opened her account straight up with a brace before passing on the strike to an on-song Meg Lanning next ball. While the Delhi captain upped the ante against Amelia Kerr the following over, Rodrigues observed carefully, trying not to get overwhelmed. She was on a run-a-ball 8 when Lanning departed after her fifty and had 13 from 14 balls when a fresh set of instructions about par scores might have come in from the dugout at the second strategic time-out.

But Rodrigues had admittedly learnt from her past couple of mistakes and gotten a feel of the new pitch which was slow and keeping low, fortunately suiting her natural game. Now was the time to implement. She showed excellent awareness of the conditions and adaptability by crouching low in her stance to find cleaner connections, and shuffling across frequently to use the crease well and throw the bowlers off their lines. Rodrigues picked the gaps well, relied on her good timing and the results followed.

The boundaries began to flow from all corners soon after. Rodrigues swung a full ball from Shabnam Ismail to the long-on fence before backing away to an attempted wide yorker and slicing it over backward-point. When Pooja Vastrakar banged the ball short, Rodrigues was quick to swivel-pull; when the bowler offered width, Rodrigues sliced the drive over cover-point after freeing up the offside. Saika Ishaque managed to remove her partner, Kapp, but Rodrigues took the bowler on with back-to-back boundaries as she continued the 360-degree attack.

The highlight of this came in the penultimate over of the innings. After welcoming Nat Sciver-Brunt back into the attack with a four, Rodrigues danced down the pitch to a slot ball and smoked it back over the bowler's head for the first of her three sixes that also brought up a 27-ball half-century. The English allrounder hit back by banging in one short outside off and Rodrigues moved across to get inside the line and pull it over fine leg fence. Sciver-Brunt couldn't help but laugh helplessly as a dazed Harmanpreet Kaur watched the 73-meter hit sail over. Not often has the MI skipper felt so helpless, not in this competition at least.

Rodrigues accounted for 56 of the 69 runs Capitals collected in the last five overs to post a mammoth 192. In the process, she didn' just register her first fifty of the WPL but also produced one of her finest T20 acts as she accessed all corners of the park to take the attack to the opposition. Among those tipping their hats off was Jhulan Goswami, once an India teammate and now the bowling coach of the attack she sent on a wild leather hunt.

"I think those two [failures] actually gave me a lot of learning," Rodrigues said after her match-winning 69* off 33 balls. "In the sense that I was trying to play something I was not, just trying to go there and hit because I just wanted to keep the tempo going. Or, you know, sometimes just seeing everyone around you go there and go 'bang, bang' and thinking I also need to do it for the team.

"But, I've spoken to Arundhati [Reddy, DC teammate], and she helped me a lot. Then, Larris [Laura Harris] in our team, she was actually the one who during that innings when I was sitting down with her she said 'you have such good hands, you maneuver the field so well. Just stick to that, that'll help you. After that game, Smriti [Mandhana, RCB captain] messaged me, 'just don't try to be someone else, be a Jemimah Rodrigues and you'll be fine'. And then after that I spoke to my dad and he insisted the same, that 'you just play your game, just be positive and and just be you. You find the gaps effortlessly. The people who hit up that's their strength, but no one can pick gaps the way you can pick gaps. So if you just stick to your strengths, it's going to help you a lot'.

"And today, even before walking into the field, Lisa [Keightley, DC assistant coach] came to me and said the same thing. 'I know, I can understand how it feels when you see everyone around you going a certain way. But just sticking to your strengths is going to help the team and is going to help you because you are a very valuable member for our team'. And I think just those conversations just helped me so much and I'm so blessed to have so many nice people around me to help me and also my DC team," the 23-year-old revealed.

Many players have spoken about the freedom franchise cricket affords them to bring out the most uninhibited T20 versions of themselves. Two failed innings later, Rodrigues has learnt the hard way that it doesn't quite work like that for her. So, amidst a generation that's tonking their first balls into the ropes, here's a certain Jemimah Rodrigues striving to just be Jemimah Rodrigues, and thriving.