Suniel Shetty praises cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues after she skips her league to stand by Smriti Mandhana amid her wedding fiasco

Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty penned a note on his social media praising Jemimah Rodrigues for standing by the side of her teammate Smriti Mandhana after she opted out of Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).

Shetty shared a screenshot of a newspaper article on his X handle on Saturday and praised Rodrigues’ action, saying it is what “real teammates do”.

“Bumped into this article first thing in the morning and my heart felt full. Jemimah leaving the WBBL to be by Smriti’s side. No big statements, just quiet solidarity. This is what real teammates do. Simple. Straight. Genuine,” he wrote in the post.

Rodrigues had returned a few days back to attend Mandhana's wedding and was scheduled to fly back to complete her Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) assignment for Brisbane Heat.

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But Mandhana’s father took ill on the eve of the wedding and the ceremony got postponed. Rodrigues then decided to be by Mandhana’s side to support her.

Earlier this week, the Brisbane Heat had issued a statement, saying they had agreed to a request to release Rodrigues from the remainder of the Women’s Big Bash League.

“Rodrigues returned home to India after the Heat’s match against the Hobart Hurricanes 10 days ago as part of a pre-arranged commitment where she was to be involved in Indian teammate Smriti Mandhana’s wedding last weekend.

“However, the celebrations were subsequently postponed due to a health issue with Mandhana’s father. Rodrigues will stay in India to support her teammate, and the Heat has agreed to her not returning for the final four games of the WBBL season,” the team said.

Rodrigues had played a pivotal role in India lifting their maiden Women’s World Cup, smashing an unbeaten century in the semifinal against seven-time champions Australia as the hosts overhauled a steep 300-plus total.

She was the Heat’s No.1 pick at the ‘International Player’ draft earlier this year.