Lungi Ngidi Becomes The 1st Ever Bowler To Do This vs India

Lungi Ngidi for South Africa vs India. Image Credits: AFP

Last Sunday, India lost their first game in an ICC tournament after 17 matches, when South Africa outclassed the reigning champions by 76 runs at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium in the T20 World Cup 2026.

For the Proteas, David Miller, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj emerged as the showstoppers during the mega win over the hosts, but there Lungi Ngidi turned up as an unsung hero.

As the bowlers, led by Jansen and Maharaj - who shared seven wickets between them, helped the Proteas defend a fighting total. Only after classics from David Miller (63 runs off 35), Dewald Brevis (45) and Tristan Stubbs (44*) took them to 197/7.

Although Lungi Ngidi, who returned wicketless, bagged a rare record, which made him the first seamer since his fellow countryman, Beuran Hendricks, in 2019.

What did Lungi Ngidi achieve against India?

Coming as a second change bowler, Lungi Ngidi returned with figures of zero for 15 after bowling out his quota of four overs.

The right-arm seamer used his experience, he bowled at probing areas as well, executing his off-cutters and leg-cutters to perfection. As a result, he denied the big-hitters like Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya to break free their assault.

During the bowling of his four overs, the 29-year-old gave away zilch boundaries, with 10 dot deliveries to go with it. Additionally, he ended the evening with an economy of 3.75 - making him the joint-best bowler economy wise on the day, along side Jasprit Bumrah, who made history himself.

With that rare feat, Ngidi has become the first paceman to bag such a record against India since Beuran Hendricks' 2/14 in Bengaluru seven years ago.

What's next for South Africa and India?

With an emphatic victory over India, the Proteas will certainly be on cloud nine after beating the favourites in a clinical fashion. They are looking as a well-oiled unit with different players performing against different oppositions.

The Men in Blue, on the other hand, haven't played their best game yet. The Indian bowlers, especially the pair of Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh have been phenomenal, but the fourth and fifth bowling options have been exploited so far.

Moreover, the number ranked batter, Abhishek, and Tilak Varma have barely contributed in this T20 World Cup for India.

India will now with at loggerheads against Zimbabwe in a do-or-die game on Thursday in Chennai. Whereas, South Africa next play the West Indies at Ahmedabad, where they enjoy a 100% winning percentage in T20Is.