Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Pretoria: Debutant Lungi Ngidi took six wickets as South Africa defeated India by 135 runs in the second Test in Pretoria on Wednesday and also win the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match contest.
Seamer Ngidi, 21, recorded figures of six for 39, his best in first class cricket, as South Africa bowled out India for 151 just before lunch.
India are the top-ranked side in Test cricket according to the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings with South Africa second, though the Proteas will not be able to overhaul the sub-continent side even with a 3-0 series win.
The third Test starts at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on January 24.
India resumed the final day on 35 for three chasing a victory target of 287, having been dealt a huge blow the evening before when Ngidi bagged the wicket of captain Virat Kohli (5).
Their slender hopes were dealt a further set-back when Cheteshwar Pujara (19) became the first Indian player ever to be run out twice in a Test.
Ngidi had a hand in that too as he chased the ball down to the boundary and stopped a four, with his cut-back to AB de Villiers allowing for a bullet throw to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock that saw Pujara short.
Pujara had also been run out first ball in the first innings and has now been involved in six of India's last eight run-outs in Tests.
It would start a procession of wickets as Parthiv Patel (19) picked out Morne Morkel on the fine leg boundary off Kagiso Rabada (three for 47), with the big fast bowler pulling off a magnificent catch on the run.
Hardik Pandya (6) was caught by De Kock off Ngidi, before the seamer also induced an edge from Ravichandran Ashwin (3) to the wicketkeeper to leave India reeling at 87 for seven.
Rohit Sharma (47) took the attack to the bowlers before he was magnificently caught at fine leg by De Villiers off Rabada attempting a hook.
The innings wrapped up quickly after that, as Mohammed Shami (28) was caught by Morkel off Ngidi and Jasprit Bumrah spooned a catch to Vernon Philander at mid-off to hand the youngster his sixth wicket and debut match figures of seven for 90.
Scoreboard
South Africa 1st innings: 335
(A. Markram 94, Hashim Amla 82; I. Sharma 3/46, R. Ashwin 4/113)
India 1st innings: 307
(V. Kohli 153, M. Vijay 46; M. Morkel 4/60)
South Africa 2nd innings: 258
(AB de Villiers 80, D. Elgar 61, Faf du Plessis 48; Mohammed Shami 4/49, Jasprit Bumrah 3/70)
India 2nd innings
M. Vijay b K. Rabada 9
L. Rahul c K. Maharaj b L. Ngidi 4
C. Pujara run out 19
V. Kohli lbw L. Ngidi 5
P. Patel c M. Morkel b K. Rabada 19
R. Sharma c AB de Villiers b K. Rabada 47
H. Pandya c Q. de Kock b L. Ngidi 6
R. Ashwin c Q. de Kock b L. Ngidi 3
M. Shami c M. Morkel b L. Ngidi 28
I. Sharma (not out) 4
J. Bumrah c V. Philander b L. Ngidi 2
Extras (b-4, w-1) 5
Total (all out, 50.2 overs) 151
Fall of wickets : 1-11, 2-16, 3-26, 4-49, 5-65, 6-83, 7-87, 8-141, 9-145.
Bowling: Vernon Philander 10-3-25-0; Kagiso Rabada 14-3-47-3; Lungi Ngidi 12.2-3-39-6; Morne Morkel 8-3-10-0; Keshav Maharaj 6-1-26-0.
