Macniel Hadley Noronha
Credit: DH File Photo
Born in Dubai, he had the choice to play for the United Arab Emirates, maybe even get fast-tracked to the senior side in quick time, or -- by virtue of his Mangalurean heritage -- he could choose to strive away at age-group cricket in Bengaluru in hope of making it to the State side.
While this country versus state dilemma consumed him, he scored a weighty century at a Zonal tournament in Bengaluru, and voila, a decision was made.
"That knock, though controversial at the time because I was playing in Dubai, was exactly what I needed to make the decision to move to India and pursue cricket full time," he tells DH.
Since shifting to Bengaluru, Macniel has continued to remain consistent with his runs, but his latest essay, he reckons, is the stepping stone to greater things.
In Karnataka's Under-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy contest against Tripuru, Macniel hammered 345 runs from 348 balls, including 23 fours and 25 sixes at the Police Training Ground in Agartala.
Karnataka, on the back of Macniel's knock, reached 580 for 5 in their first innings. Shashi Kumar then got into the act, picking up seven wickets to bowl Tripura out for 104 in their first innings. Tripura ended the day on 40 for 1, trailing Karnataka by 436 runs with one day left in the three-day contest.
"I was always being looked at as a white-ball cricketer, but this knock, the fact that I batter for over a day, gives me the confidence that I can be a quality red-ball cricketer for Karnataka," he says. "I wanted to prove to myself that I could do that here, rather than in the UAE, despite all this competition.
"I am confident I can make the Ranji Trophy side now," he adds.
Karnataka coach Somashekar Shiraguppi said much the same, but noted that Macniel needs to apply himself more frequently in order to fully exploit his potential. "This was a quality knock from him," he said. "The pitch was not an easy one so he had to apply himself for long periods. He looks like the future for Karnataka cricket, but he needs to play like this more consistently."
Irfan Sait, Macniel's childhood coach at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket in Bengaluru, says he saw a lot of Robin Uthappa in Macniel when he joined his club as an 8-year-old.
"He has that same desire to keep on batting like Robin did," says the coach. "He's also just as aggressive as Robin, but he's rarely out of shape, and he's a big lad and has a lot of power to back his finesse."
"While all that is nice, I think his desire to spend hours batting is what makes him this good. I remember this one incident which separates him from the others in his age. The day Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) announced his retirement from cricket, Macniel told me before the match that he would honour Yuvi by hitting six sixes in a game, it was a private tournament. He did it effortlessly. It was something else."