New Delhi: Former spinner and the current chairman of selectors for the Indian women’s team, Neetu David, became only the second female cricketer from India to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Neetu along with England’s Alastair Cook and South Africa’s Ab de Villiers became the three new additions to the long list of cricketing icons on Wednesday. They joined as inductees 113,114 and 115 respectively.
Neetu David got recognised for her years of service to the Indian women’s team, where she emerged as one of the best the country had ever produced in women’s cricket. She was the first Indian women cricket to claim 100 wicket in ODIs. The left-arm spinner played a total of 97 ODIs for Team India, ending her illustrious career with a total 141 wickets.
Three legends of the game unveiled as the newest ICC Hall of Fame inductees 🏅🏅🏅
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— ICC (@ICC) October 16, 2024
Neetu still holds the record for the best figures (8/53) by a woman in an individual Test innings. Apart from the ODI career, she also represented Indian in 10 Test matches taking 41 wickets in the longest format. She topped the wicket-taking list at the World Cup in 2005, to inspire her country to their first-ever final, is also among her standout achievements.
What Neetu David said
“It is truly an honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, something that I consider to be the highest recognition available to anyone who puts on their national team jersey. This comes after a lifetime of dedication to this great sport, and it caps a very special journey for me to get to this point,” she said.
“To be considered a Hall of Famer alongside the greatest players that ever lived is humbling, and I am thrilled to be part of this exclusive club,” she added.
First Indian female cricketer to be inducted in ICC Hall of Fame
Former captain Diana Edulji was the first female cricketer from India to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame. She received the recognition just last year in November, alongside World Cup-winning Indian and Sri Lankan duo of Virender Sehwag and Arvinda de Silva. Edulji played 54 matches for India across three decades between 1976 and 1993.
Making her mark as a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, she claimed more than 100 wickets in her career. Edulji played a total of 20 Test matches, scoring 404 runs and claiming 63 wickets at an average of 25.77. In the 50-over format, she scored 211 runs and bagged 46 wickets.
