South Africa cricketer Lungi Ngidi has seen poverty closely and he is happy with the fact that the social and financial inequality does not matter on the cricket field with talent being the only factor that counts and this is the reason, the fast bowler took up the game as a profession.
However, the tough circumstances have never been able to deter his rapid strides in an international cricketer, as he has already played four Tests and 22 ODIs for South Africa since making debut in 2017.
Ngidi told PTI on Wednesday (October 16), “Once you are playing cricket on the field, everyone is pretty equal. The only thing that matters is your talent. Your financial background plays no role in how you hold a bat or a ball. For me, that was one of the main things why I loved cricket. It didn't define who I was as a person (socially or financially).”
The 23-year-old had seen poverty up close as a child, but that didn’t come on his way to the South African national team and he fondly remembered all the sacrifices his parents had to make to support his career while thanking everyone who supported him during his tough time.
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Ngidi recalled, “I was aware from a very young age obviously that my parents weren't as well off as other families but we did make ends meet. But I never put them under any pressure to provide things that were outside of their comfort zone and range. I was okay with that.”
The bowler continued, “It was a bit of a struggle at the start but I had a lot of people who were willing to help out as my parents couldn't afford kits and stuff like that. The school that I went to, a lot of parents whose kids I played with, would pitch in with batting pads or bats. To this day, I haven't forgotten them. I still thank them for the opportunities that they gave me.”
Meanwhile, Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada both are good friends – both born in the post-apartheid era, though he came from a privileged background, the financial difference could never affect their strong bond.
He further added, “KG (Rabada) and I did play a lot of school cricket together. Come to think of it, it’s pretty awesome to come out to the international scene and play together. We get along very well and that relationship makes it a lot easier on the field in terms of communicating as well.”
He couldn’t feature in the last season of the IPL due to injury but he would love to come back at Chennai Super Kings, adding: “If the opportunity is there to go back, I would love to go back. I enjoyed my time at the CSK. Lot of fans sent me a lot of messages during the time I wasn’t playing for them. I would like to say thank you to them.”
On being asked about the Bollywood chartbuster 'Lungi Dance' featuring Shah Rukh Khan and he starts laughing while saying: “I am very familiar with the song when I played for the CSK. They used to play it a lot when I would be at the ground. The song has in fact grown on me and it's something that I cherish.”
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He continued, “I have seen the music video of the song and I saw him (SRK) in the music video as well. It's a bit of clash there since he is KKR. It's still a good song nevertheless.”
South Africa’s 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks team has been inspiring the bowler as well and he also dreams of doing it on a cricket pitch with a hope to unite the country.
Ngidi signed off by saying, “Growing up and hearing about the Springboks (1995 World Champion team) was an inspiration. My parents were able to tell me stories about how great the feeling was. So, you know, one thing I would also want to create for South Africa, if we win it one year. I want to bring those feelings back, bring those emotions back, bring the country closer, I want to experience it as a player.”
He was also hopeful to feature in the third and final Test against India.
(With PTI Inputs)
