South Africa's rookie paceman Lungi Ngidi, who starred with a six-wicket haul against India in the second Test, has revealed he had a gameplan for captain Virat Kohli and it worked.
Yesterday (January 17), Indian batsmen faltered against the 21-year-old Ngidi in the second innings. They were bowled out for 151, losing the Test and with that the three-match series 0-2. The visitors were chasing 287 and surrendered by 135 runs.
Also read: Kohli angry at Lungi Ngidi
Ngidi, who made his Test debut in Centurion, did not show nerves. He emerged as Proteas hero and the crowd at the ground applauded his efforts.
After the victory, Ngidi revealed that getting Kohli's wicket in the second innings was a "very special moment". He trapped the Indian right-hader LBW. The batsman reviewed the decision but it did not change as Hawkeye showed the ball hitting stumps.
"The (favourite) moment for me I think was the captain's (Kohli) 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," Ngidi said.
The fast bowler celebrated in a big way after sending back Kohli. The skipper, however, did not like that and was seen uttering few words under the helmet as he headed back to the pavilion.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis praised Ngidi, who won the Man-of-the-match award.
"It speaks volumes for his maturity. When new guys come into the team, from my side it's important to make sure they feel like they belong, but then for them to perform means they have good heads on their shoulders and don't see the occasion as too big.
"They just see it as another game where they can perform. When I looked at Lungi I never sensed any nerves. He was really calm and just wanted to bowl. His control impressed me a lot, which is a good sign for his Test career going forward," Du Plessis said.
Before the Centurion Test, Ngidi had played only 10 first-class games. He made his Twenty20 International debut against Sri Lanka in Centurion in January 2017. So far he has played three T20Is taking six wickets.
