Noel David

Noel David was a handy allrounder, who played for Hyderabad (Ind) and India in the 1990s. He was also known for his sparkling efforts as a fielder. David made his First-Class debut in 1992-93 and came into the limelight when MV Sridhar, Vivek Jaisimha and David himself amassed tall scores to take Hyderabad to a believe-it-or-not total of 944 for 6 against Andhra. David ended up with 207 not out.

In 1997, David surprisingly was picked to replace the injured Javagal Srinath for the tour of the West Indies. The legend has it that the then captain Sachin Tendulkar had famously said: \"Who is Noel?\" However, after David retired, he later clarified that it was a rumour.

David had his moments with the Indian team. In his first ODI game against West Indies at Port of Spain, Trinidad, the offspinner took a 3-for. He also impressed one-and-all with his athletic fielding skills. On occasions, David was even hailed as India's answer to the legendary South African fielder, Jonty Rhodes.

Unfortunately, he soon slipped out of the radar and faded away from the scene. David played his last First-Class game against Tamil Nadu in 1998-99. He then migrated to the USA before returning back to Hyderabad to coach their Academy.

By Bharath Ramaraj