Former India spinner Neetu David was on Wednesday inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. A prolific spinner with more than 100 appearances for her country, David is the second woman from India to make it into the ICC Hall of Fame following the induction of Diana Edulji in 2023.
David is the second-highest wicket-taker for India in women’s ODI cricket with 141 scalps and was also the first female player from India to claim 100 ODI wickets. She still holds the record for the best figures by a woman in an individual Test innings with 8/53 against England in 1995 and has more recently continued her ongoing love affair with cricket by holding the important off-field position as selection chair of India’s women’s team.
Following some impressive performances with the ball in domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, David won a first international appearance for India as a spritely 17-year-old in a Test match against New Zealand in Nelson in 1995.
She impressed with four wickets in that contest and was again selected for the ODI leg of that tour as India claimed the New Zealand women’s Centenary Tournament.
But it was later that same year that David really rose to prominence as she claimed sensational figures of 8/53 – still to this day the best individual bowling spell in a single innings of a women’s Test – against England in Jamshedpur as India fell to a narrow two-run loss.
While David excelled at Test level with 41 wickets from 10 matches, it was perhaps in ODI cricket that she performed best with 141 scalps from 97 matches at a miserly bowling average of 16.34.
Three World Cups appearances for India
Those 97 ODI appearances took David to three ICC women’s World Cup tournaments for India, with the first one of those coming in 1997 on home soil. While India were bundled out of the tournament in the semi-final stage by eventual champions Australia, David claimed five wickets from as many matches at the event at an excellent economy rate of 2.22.
It was a similar story for David at the 2000 World Cup in New Zealand, with the left-armer picking up another five wickets as India lost to the hosts in the semi-finals as the Kiwis went on to win their first and only World Cup title.
It was no surprise that David’s best effort at a World Cup came five years later in South Africa in 2005 when she finished as the leading wicket-taker at the event with 20 scalps as India made it all the way to the final before losing to Australia.
David retired from international cricket in 2006, only to reverse that decision two years later for a brief return in ODI cricket at the Asia Cup and on India’s tour of England. She played her final domestic match in 2013, calling time on an illustrious playing career by helping Railways to the 2012–13 Senior Women’s T20 League title.
David sticks to the game post retirement
While David’s playing career was impressive on its own, her efforts as an administrator in recent times in her role as selection chair of India’s women’s team has arguably already surpassed her cricketing exploits.
David won the role in September 2020 and had to oversee the transition of an India team that had to usher in some young talent following the retirements of the legendary Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami.
David has been partly responsible for the growth of current India stars like Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh as they have established themselves at international level, while continuing to look for ways off the field to boost the performance of the national side.
Cook, de Villiers also inducted into ICC Hall of Fame
Along with David, the ICC also announced two other new additions to the Hall of Fame, with England great Alastair Cook and dynamic South African batter AB de Villiers joining the list.
One of the finest opening batters in the history of Test cricket, England great Alastair Cook further cements his cricketing legacy by winning a place in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Cook retired as England’s all-time leading run-scorer and is still ranked among the top six in the world even six years after his retirement.
Cook’s career is marked by numerous accolades, including his pivotal role in England’s two greatest overseas victories in recent times: the 2010-11 Ashes triumph and the 2012 Test series win in India.
“Every time I pulled on the English shirt, I tried my best to be as good as I could be. I had the best 20 years playing cricket. I was very lucky to stay injury-free, meet some great people, share some great highs, and some great lows, which I think are important as well, and make memories which I’ll never forget,” Cook said.
Regarded as one of the most innovative and destructive batters in modern-day cricket, South Africa’s AB de Villiers was deservingly named a member of the ICC Hall of Fame. De Villiers made a lasting impact during a 14-year international career, scoring more than 20,000 international runs across all three formats, while also revered as one of the greatest fielders to grace the game.
Boasting the fastest-ever men’s ODI century, multiple ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year Awards and selected in the ICC Test Team of the Year on numerous occasions, de Villiers was also a leading player in the game’s shortest format during its formative years as an international format.
Exiting from international cricket in 2018, de Villiers finished with a batting average of more than 50 in both Test and ODI cricket, with Jacques Kallis the only other South African player to boast more than de Villiers’ 20,014 international runs.