Indian women's cricket team batter Jemimah Rodrigues has expressed her enthusiasm about representing her country at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Cricket will make its return to the Olympics after more than a century, with the last appearance being in 1900 when Great Britain defeated France by 158 runs in a two-day match held in Paris. The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles will feature cricket in the T20 format for both men's and women's teams.
In an Instagram post, Jemimah shared her excitement, saying, "Loved wearing the current Indian Olympic jersey. Can't wait to play cricket for India at the Olympics soon! Man, what a feeling that'd be. Also, our Indian athletes have shown tremendous passion, commitment, persistence, and grit! Win or lose, we're proud of you."
Meanwhile, Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting, a three-time ODI World Cup winner, sees the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics as a significant opportunity to expand the sport's global reach and enhance its popularity. "It can only be a positive thing for our game. I have sat on various committees over the last 15 or 20 years and it has always been on the top of almost every agenda - how do we get the game back into the Olympics? And finally, it is there," Ponting told The ICC Review, as quoted by Olympics.com.
Cricket was among the five additional sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee, which was officially confirmed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year. Ponting emphasized the potential benefits, stating, "The Olympic Games being viewed by so many people all around the world, it just opens up completely different audiences to our game which is seemingly growing on a daily basis anyway." He also highlighted the importance of facilities, infrastructure, and the number of teams, expressing his excitement about the future direction and growth of the sport in emerging markets.
Ponting was also part of the Australian team during cricket's debut at the Commonwealth Games in 1998.
