All About Lungi Ngidi – South Africa’s New Pace Sensation Who Dismantled India’s Star Batting Line up

Ngidi is the seventh South African to win the Man of the Match award on Test debut.

New Delhi: South Africa’s latest fast bowling sensation Lungi Ngidi made a dream debut in the second Test against India at the SuperSport Park in Centurion helping his team to a 135-run victory over the visitors. Ngidi had a big shoe to fill as he had replaced the injured express bowler Dale Steyn in the playing XI.

But the right-arm pacer did not disappoint his team as he ran through India’s top and middle order at Centurion. He removed KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah in India’s second innings. He had scalped Parthiv Patel in the first innings. The pacer ended the Test with a figure of six for 39, which is also the all-time best debut figures for a bowler in the 4^th innings of a Test. 

The 21-year old, who is known for cranking up the pace to over 140kmph, also became the sixth Proteas’ pacer to pick a five-wicket haul in his debut Test after Lance Klusener (8/62 vs India in 1996), Charles Langeveldt (5/46 vs England in 2005), Vernon Philander (5/15 vs Australia in 2011), Merchant de Lange (7/81 vs Sri Lanka in 2011) and Kyle Abbott (7/29 vs Pakistan in 2013).

Ngidi is the seventh South African to win the Man of the Match award on Test debut. The other six are Andrew Hudson, Jacques Rudolph, Vernon Philander, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Abbott and Dane Piedt.

Interestingly, the Durban-born Ngidi won the Man of the Match award at his International debut as well. The speedster made an impact in the first game itself by achieving the figures of 2-0-12-2 in a T20 match against Sri Lanka, which was also played at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Coming from the poor background, Ngidi was also a part of the victorious Titan’s squad which won the CSA T20 Challenge tournament in 2016-17. In 11 games, Ngidi managed to bag nine wickets.