Lungi Ngidi opens up on how MS Dhoni pushed him to win matches for Chennai in the Indian T20 League

South African pacer Lungi Ngidi made his international debut in 2017, but he came to the limelight when he made his Indian T20 League debut for Chennai in 2018. He played a very important part in Chennai's season-winning campaign in 2018.

Ngidi credits his comfort with bowling in high-pressure circumstances and in front of tens of thousands of fans in the world's largest stadiums to that chance. He spoke about how skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's guidance helped him excel.

Ngidi spoke up about Dhoni's role early in his career in an interview with The Guardian. "Having someone of Dhoni’s calibre put his trust in me to win him games when I was 22 was massive for me," he said in the interview.

"The IPL also taught me how to handle a big crowd. I’d never played in front of 60,000 people and that was a bit overwhelming at the start. But once you get going it’s a breeze," he added.

Ngidi was signed as a youngster by Chennai for 50 lakhs ahead of the 2018 season, and he played 7 matches for the team in yellow, claiming 11 wickets as they won the title on their return to the Indian T20 League after a two-year ban.

Ngidi was signed by Delhi for the 2022 season, however, he did not play a game. He was one of three overseas seamers fighting for one berth, along with Nortje and Mustafizur Rahman.

Ngidi remarked of playing under Rishabh Pant in Delhi, who succeeded Dhoni as India's wicketkeeper, "Even this year, in Delhi, Rishabh Pant has been so good. He’s young but he already has so much influence within the game and being able to bowl to him in the nets and run ideas past him helps you grow as a cricketer."

Lungi Ngidi's international career