Jemimah Rodrigues played the innings of her life to guide India to a stunning five-wicket win over Australia in the ICC Women's World Cup semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday.

Rodrigues scored an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls (14 fours) as India chased down 339 with nine balls to spare to set up a final date with South Africa.

Rodrigues shared a fantastic 167-run third wicket partnership with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (89 off 88 balls) to set the tone for India's memorable win over the seven-time world champions.

Earlier, opener Phoebe Litchfield scored a brilliant 119 off 93 balls as Australia made 338 all out.

But their big total was not enough to stop India in front of their passionate fans at a packed DY Patil stadium as a lion-hearted effort from Rodrigues dragged the team over the line.

In her first-ever World Cup appearance, the 25-year-old took India a step closer to a first-ever triumph in the global showpiece.

Struggling to hold back the tears, Rodrigues thanked her family and all her supporters after the unforgettable match-winning display.

"I want to thank my mom, dad and coach and every single person who believed in me. It was really hard this last month, it feels like a dream and it still has not sunk in," she said.

Harmanpreet also cried tears of joy after Rodrigues hit the match-clinching boundary in the 49th over.

"Very proud. I don't have words how to express myself. Feeling great, this time we have crossed that line which we have been working towards for so many years," the Indian captain said, referring to past heartbreaks in World Cup knockout matches.

India will now take on South Africa in the final on Sunday for a shot at glory.

Brief scores:

India 341 for 5 (Rodrigues 127 not out, Harmanpreet 89, Garth 2-46) beat Australia 338 (Litchfield 119, Perry 77, Gardner 63, Charani 2-49, Deepti 2-73) by five wickets

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