Lungi Ngidi said playing under Dhoni's captaincy helped him “grow as a cricketer”.
South African speedster Lungi Ngidi has recalled the thrilling final of Indian Premier League (IPL) when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and made a scintillating return to the IPL in 2018. Ngidi was a part of the CSK’s playing XI in the IPL 2018 final against the SRH.
Recently, Ngidi opened up on the CSK skipper MS Dhoni's captaincy decision in the final encounter as it enabled him to get the key wicket of SRH’s Deepak Hooda. The Proteas bowler had registered match figures of 1/26, with the wicket of Hooda in the 17th over of the IPL 2018 Final.
He revealed that Dhoni “automatically changed the field,” which resulted in the wicket of Hooda.
Lungi Ngidi told Times Now: “It was the final against the Sunrisers (Hyderabad) in 2018, we hadn’t discussed a certain field placement but he automatically just changed my field and with that field, within a couple of balls, we got a wicket to the fielder that he had moved.”
He further added, “So for me, that’s one thing that sticks out in my mind because in a final, to have such a moment like that and to execute the plan that he wanted, really gave me confidence in terms of how to bowl. It just showed me how in tune he is with the game in terms of how he sees it’s going to play out and it played out exactly the way I think he thought it was going to.”
The South African pacer also said that playing under Dhoni's captaincy helped him “grow as a cricketer.”
Ngidi signed off by saying, “I think the main thing is just the control that he has over the team and on the field, he really does bring a sense of calm. I’ve also learnt a lot more in my time that I’ve been with CSK just under his captaincy in terms of field settings, game plans and how to construct my bowling within an inning. I think from that moment it has really helped me grow as a cricketer.”