Proteas pace legend Dale Styen, who was ruled out of the ongoing Test series against India with a bruised heel, has hailed the debutant speedster Lungi Ngidi for his ruthlessness in India’s second innings.
The 21-year-old Ngidi grabbed the prize scalp of India skipper Virat Kohli for only 5 and then went on to hit India’s wicketkeeper batsman Parthiv Patel on the chest. While Patel literally fell down on the pitch gasping for breath, Ngidi stood at the end of his run-up ready to deliver yet another thunderbolt.
Seeing that ultra-aggressive nature of Lungi, Steyn certainly got the goosebumps and tweeted: "#fastbowlersdontcare".
"Love that. PP down and Lungi ready at his mark for more #fastbowlersdontcare," Steyn's complete tweet read.
Love that
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) January 16, 2018
PP down and Lungi ready at his mark for more #fastbowlersdontcare
Here is the clip of the incident:
That was a Nasty Blow for @parthiv9 #SAvIND #FreedomSeries Ngidi bounce with Pace hits Parthivs Rib Cage. pic.twitter.com/e0Tgi4omel
— Aloysius Fernandes (@Aloy_Ferns) January 16, 2018
Ngidi had got rid of Parthiv Patel in the first innings to claim his maiden Test wicket but he has become more lethal in the second innings. He first removed KL Rahul for just 4 and then traps the Indian captain plumb in front which perhaps sealed the deal for the hosts.
Talking about the debutant seamer after the end of Day 4, South Africa coach Ottis Gibson had said: “He is very exciting, like I said before the test match I had heard a lot of good things about him. Mark Boucher and a lot of other good cricket brains speak very highly of him. He has come in and settled very well."
On Day 5, Ngidi completed his first 6-wicket haul by removing Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah as South Africa won the second Test by 135 runs.