Ind vs SA: du Plessis rubs salt in India's wounds, Ngidi says Kohli's wicket was special moment

South African skipper Faf du Plessis has said that the 2015 series loss in India on raging turners motivated their team to win the series here in Centurion, on a pitch that "should have suited the visitors more".
The hosts won the second Test by 135 runs on day five and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. "It was tough for us in India (in 2015). Personally and as a team we struggled there, and mentally it took a toll on us, even after that series. So the guys were extremely motivated for this series to put that right," said du Plessis in the post-match press conference.

"I think you could see that in this Test especially. In conditions that should suit them more than us, we adapted really well and we fought every hour to get ahead in the game. It is very pleasing sitting here 2-0 up," said du Plessis on Wednesday. "The previous game we spoke about how Newlands was almost on fast forward mode, so it was an exciting game and this was completely the opposite. It needed a lot of grinding, a lot of hard work and a lot of pushing ourselves for longer and longer and that for me makes this Test match incredibly special. "The previous one was more of a sense of excitement and the best one to watch but I take a lot of pleasure out of winning games like this, where the team needs a lot of heart and a lot of character and a lot of fight to make sure we get across the line.

"The conditions weren't?t the conditions we would have liked, but the conditions were there and we still need to win. And I thought we did brilliantly. There were times when India put us under pressure and every single time we responded by huge character so yes, extremely special this Test match," he added.The Proteas' skipper expressed concern about the pitch and compared it to the raging turners in the 2015 series. "I was very concerned when I got here, leading up to the Test match. It looked not like a Centurion wicket that I know. That is a concern, to be honest. I believe this was an opportunity that we missed. We can blame the groundsman but we also have to blame ourselves.

"We made a process where we make sure Cricket South Africa has someone that looks after the groundsman to get the right kind of pitches when we play against teams. That's something I will be taking up and making sure we can improve," du Plessis said. "Our win-rate away from home is the best in the world so we have played some really good cricket. The last time we went to India we didn?t play as well, but I do feel the conditions were touching on extreme. "For me the way to look at that is even the Indian batting line-up struggled in conditions where their spinners were much better than ours. Every Test match lasted three days.

"In this series there have been times when it has looked tough, but there have been guys scoring runs and guys taking wickets, so there is always that battle between bat and ball. If you have that, for me it is a good wicket. "If it is just dominated by seam or spin bowling then I think the wickets are excessive. We learnt a lot of lessons from that tour, and I expect that when we go there again, we'll put up a better fight," he added. India were bowled out for 151 runs in their 287-run chase with debutant Lungi Ngidi picking up 6-39 and became only the seventh Proteas? pacer to pick a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test.

"It speaks volumes for his maturity. When new guys come into the team, from my side it's important to make sure they feel like they belong, but then for them to perform means they have good heads on their shoulders and don't see the occasion as too big. "They just see it as another game where they can perform. When I looked at Lungi I never sensed any nerves. He was really calm and just wanted to bowl. His control impressed me a lot, which is a good sign for his Test career going forward," said the skipper.

The Indian bowlers had done well on this pitch in restricting South Africa to 335 and 258. Faf praised AB de Villiers for his 80 runs in the second innings, while also talking about Virat Kohli?s 153 who was the only Indian batsman to cross 50 in this match. "The runs he scored in this Test were important but I want to focus on the partnerships. Yes, AB looks like the superstar from an Indian perspective. "But guys like Dean Elgar on this wicket, for me, the rest of the team needs to understand there is another role to play, which is to fight and grind for as long as possible because the longer you grind the weaker the opposition gets. "We saw yesterday that we took India so far beyond that point that they just collapsed this morning because the runs were too much.

"Obviously AB is a special player and we're very privileged to have him in our team because he has the ability to counterattack. Virat Kohli is similar. They put bowlers under pressure," he said. South Africa now have the opportunity to white-wash the world's no.1 Test team 3-0. The third Test begins at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on January 24. "Big time! It was the same when we were playing Australia and we were 4-0 up. It?s an amazing opportunity - not a lot of South African teams have had it. It makes us even hungrier to go out there as a team, so we?re really looking forward to the next Test.
"We haven't had the opportunity to beat India 3-0 for a while," du Plessis signed off. 

Ngidi says had gameplan bowling to Kohli: 

 South African pacer Lungi Ngidi today said that trapping Virat Kohli, one of the world's best batsmen, lbw in India's second innings of the second Test was a special moment. The Test debutant went on to take 6-39 on day five asIndia crashed to 151 all out and lost the series 2-0. "The moment for me I think was the captain's wicket. That was a very special moment and I felt that I had worked hard and sort of figured out a gameplan of bowling towards him. So finally getting that really did mean a lot to me," Ngidi said after winning the Man-of-the-Match award for taking 7 wickets for 90 runs in this second Test.

Playing on his home ground, where he represents the Titans, Ngidi was cheered by the crowd throughout this game, in particular when he dismissed Kohli. He was also given a standing ovation after he tore through India's line-up on day five. "To be honest, it's actually difficult to describe. It's not something I'm used to, so every time it really does hit me. You get goosebumps and get nervous all over again. It really is an honour to have people appreciate the work that you're doing out there, so it's hard to describe but it really is a blessing," he said.

Kagiso Rabada, the world's no.1 Test bowler, also took 3 -47 as the young pace-duo plotted India's downfall. "I do remember that moment and it did strike me when I was thrown the ball and he was bowling at the other end. During the game I couldn't say anything, I had to internalise it, but it really was a dream come true to bowl with him. It has been a dream of mine. "He actually has a lot of knowledge for a youngster as well. He is no.1 in the world and it shows. We had been chatting throughout the innings and he had been giving me idea, and to see them work is special as well," said Ngidi.

The youngster became the seventh Proteas pacer to achieve a five-wicket haul after Lance Klusener (8/62 vs India in 1996), Charles Langeveldt (5/46 vs England in 2005), Vernon Philander (5/15 vs Australia in 2011), Merchant de Lange (7/81 vs Sri Lanka in 2011) and Kyle Abbott (7/29 vs Pakistan in 2013). "I'd love this to be a long career. I know many people talk about how injuries have affected me in the past, but I feel like this is a new start. In the past, I didn't know what I was doing, to be honest.

"Now I've sort of found my feet and I know which path I'm going down as a cricketer. I'd also like it to be one of the long careers and maybe go down on the honours board," Ngidi said. "I actually watched a lot of Andre Nel and was convinced that I had the same bowling action as him, but I realise now that isn't true. Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, those were my idols that I looked up to," he signed off.