Lungi Ngidi credits CSK and Dhoni for backing him

CSK defeated KXIP by 5 wickets in that last league game of the IPL to secure that 2nd spot on the table and get two bites at the cherry during the playoff stages.

MS Dhoni had a few tricks up his sleeve yesterday, as he sent Chahar and Bhajji up the order, so as to spread some chaos in the KXIP bowling unit.

Lungi Ngidi was named as the man of the match (MOM) for his brilliant spell of 4-1-10-4. The South African pace bowler stated that he never expected to be picked in the IPL auction. Moreover, he thanked CSK skipper MS Dhoni and the management who have shown faith in him and supported him.

“First of all it was the last thing I expected; I never thought I would get picked up in the auction. But the way the coaching staff and MS Dhoni have backed me has been really amazing. The experience here has been eye-opening, I have never played in front of such crowds but then again this is where, the kind of stages (you find yourself in) you find out how good you are. It has been very good for me and I am looking forward to learn even more,” Lungi Ngidi said.

The pacer went on to appreciate the wicket at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune.

“Having seen (Deepak) Chahar bowl that first over I had seen a bit of bounce. He really swings the ball so I knew there was a bit of movement. When I bowled my first ball I actually saw that it was a very quick wicket and it is playing a lot in my favour,” he said.

“I try to keep it simple as (much as) possible, try and pitch it on the fourth-stump line with it swinging away and swinging back in, let the batsman deal with that. It was a very good wicket for fast bowlers I would say, and it was very exciting to see Indian conditions offer such a fast-bowler friendly wicket,” Ngidi added.

The 22-year-old cricketer agreed with the idea of promoting Harbhajan and Chahar ahead when likes of Dhoni, Jadeja, and Bravo were sitting into the dugout.

“To be honest I was not a part of that conversation. Watching them go out and bat at that time I was thinking probably (it was to) get the run-rate high, they (had) put us under a bit of pressure upfront so to try (for about) five overs was fine. Taking a win into the qualifiers puts the guys in a good place,” Ngidi concluded