South Africa pace sensation Lungi Ngidi has revealed how he was left awestruck of former India captain MS Dhoni when he joined Indian Premier League’s franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2018.
The Proteas speedster said he was taken aback by Dhoni’s aura, which gave him goosebumps. Ngidi asserted that Dhoni is massive for Cricket and Chennai.
“When I first arrived at Chennai, you’d walk out, and you’d hear the crowd chant his name, you would get goosebumps, and they’re not even talking about you. He is massive for cricket, massive for Chennai. Like everyone says, Captain Cool,” Ngidi told ESPNCricinfo.
During the 2018 season, Ngidi had taken 11 wickets from seven matches. He didn’t play the subsequent edition due to injury. In IPL 2020, the right-handed bowler appeared in four games and picked up nine scalps.
Ngidi heaped praises on MSD, stating his consistency and art to carry himself is the most amazing thing. The fast bowler said he is extremely happy to be playing under the guidance of the Ranchi-born superstar.
“He’s been very consistent; that’s the one thing I was amazed at the most… his consistency and how he carries himself behaves as a captain. For me, that was one of the most amazing things. Never showing too much emotion, but when you’d need to get a bit of a pick-up talk from the captain, he’d give it to you. Very amazing man and very happy to be playing under him” added Ngidi.
In the IPL 2021 auction, CSK added a few familiar names in cricket like Moeen Ali, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Cheteshwar Pujara.
The ‘Yellow Army’ also included some uncapped players like M Harisankar Reddy, K Bhagath Varma and C Hari Nishanth to their squad. Speaking about the new faces, Ngidi said he is looking forward to playing with them in the upcoming season of the cash-rich league.
“The combination is going to be interesting to see. Who plays, who misses out, but the coaching staff and the captain get along very well, and they’ve always got plans to fix things. So, I’m really excited to see how the guys are going to get it this year,” Ngidi added further.
