Green- top had Lungi dancing
Pune, May 21: Fast bowlers usually have uncharitable words to describe Indian wickets but Lungi Ngidi was full of praise for the Pune surface where he wrecked Kings XI Punjab on Sunday in a stellar display of pace bowling in the batsman- dominated format.
The Chennai Super Kings bowler tormented Punjab batsmen with his pace and movement to return 4- 1- 104 in the five- wicket victory.
“Having seen ( new ball partner Deepak) Chahar bowl the first over, there was a bit of bounce and pace in the wicket. I was grinning there from the boundary,” the South African said after Chennai’s last group match.
Encouraged by the bounce and carry, the 22year- old steamed in with keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni gathering several deliveries above shoulder height.
“When I got the ball, and bowled my first ball I actually saw that it’s a very quick wicket and it was playing a lot in my favour,” Ngidi said.
“I tried to pitch it on the fourth stump line, ( thinking) whether it was swinging away or swinging back in, let the batsmen deal with that. It was a very good wicket for fast bowlers I’d say. It was very exciting to see Indian conditions offer such a fast bow l e rfriendly wicket.” Lungi left the Chennai c a m p and returned home last month after his father passed away but has been a steady performer for the two- time champions since his return.
On a pitch of his liking on Sunday, Ngidi dismissed the dangerous Chris Gayle for a duck in his maiden first over. In his next, he brought one back to breach the gate of K. L. Rahul, conmfortably Punjab’s best batsman this season.
He then returned to dismiss Punjab captain R. Ashwin and Andrew Tye in the same over.