I had figured out a gameplan of bowling to Kohli, says Lungi Ngidi

Young South African pacer Lungi Ngidi just could not have asked for anything more on his Test debut. Ngidi was not even a part of the South African squad when the series had commenced. He found himself drafted in the squad prior to the second Test and soon found himself in the playing eleven. In the match, his spell in the second innings proved to be the match-winning spell for the South African team.

Riding on the 6-wicket haul from Lungi Ngidi, South Africa registered an emphatic 135 run win in the Centurion Test to seal the series. Among all the wickets that Ngidi bagged, the one that arguably took all headlines was the wicket of Indian captain Virat Kohli. As per the quotes in Cricbuzz, even Ngidi admitted that Kohli’s wicket was the turning point. He also noted that it will remain very special to me.

“The moment for me I think was the captain’s wicket. That was a very special moment and I felt that I had worked hard and sort of figured out a gameplan of bowling towards him. So finally getting that really did mean a lot to me,” quoted Lungi Ngidi.

On bowling with Rabada

Interestingly, Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada bagged all the wickets on the final day’s play (except one run out). There has been a racial quota in South Africa for quite a long time now. And it happened for the first time that the colored skinned players bagged all the wickets on the day. Speaking about the opportunity to bowl in tandem with Rabada, Ngidi remarked that he had always wished to do so. He noted that Rabada helped him a lot with his inputs throughout the game.

“I do remember that moment and it did strike me when I was thrown the ball and he was bowling at the other end. During the game I couldn’t say anything, I had to internalize it, but it really was a dream come true to bowl with him [Rabada]. It has been a dream of mine. He actually has a lot of knowledge for a youngster as well. He is No. 1 in the world and it shows. We had been chatting throughout the innings and he had been giving me idea, and to see them work is special as well,” mentioned Ngidi.

Will to become number one bowler

Kagiso Rabada is the number one ranked bowler in Tests at the moment. Lungi Ngidi also wishes to achieve the same. He remarked that he cannot give any specific day but he is certainly going to strive hard for it. He wishes to elongate his career as much as possible and is looking forward to the times that lie ahead for him now after such a brilliant start.

“I wouldn’t give it a specific date, but as a sportsman I would also like to achieve a milestone like that. It’s something I’ll definitely be chasing. I’d love this to be a long career. I know many people talk about how injuries have affected me in the past, but I feel like this is a new start. In the past, I didn’t know what I was doing, to be honest. Now I’ve sort of found my feet and I know which path I’m going down as a cricketer. I’d also like it to be one of the long careers and maybe go down on the honors board,” quoted the pace bowler.

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