South Africa have called up Lungi Ngidi for Saturday’s second Test against India in Guwahati, a move that all but confirms Kagiso Rabada’s rib problem has not cleared up in time.
Head coach Shukri Conrad admitted on Wednesday, “We’re giving KG every spare hour, but the truth is he’s still short of full pace and you can’t hide that in Test cricket.”
With Rabada touch-and-go, the touring quick-bowling group now reads Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch and Wiaan Mulder. Dane Paterson is travelling as cover but has not been formally added to the 15.
Ngidi’s Test numbers remain solid – 51 wickets at 24 – yet he has turned out only three times since his comeback in Cape Town in January 2024. His most recent red-ball outing was the World Test Championship final defeat to Australia in June, and his lone Test in India (Ranchi, 2019) produced no wickets.
The 29-year-old insists he has enough overs in the legs after white-ball series in Pakistan last month and a short hit-out for Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge. “I’ve been bowling plenty, maybe more than people think. Rhythm’s good, body feels strong,” he said on arrival in Guwahati.
South Africa’s seamers (fast bowlers who rely on movement off the pitch) delivered 40 overs for six wickets in last week’s 70-run win at Eden Gardens – their first Test victory on Indian soil since 2010. Bowling coach Piet Botha noted, “The Kolkata surface gave us just enough nibble. Guwahati’s a mystery, so we’ll walk the square tomorrow and take it from there.”
Barsapara Cricket Stadium has never staged a Test, though recent first-class matches suggest truer bounce than many eastern venues. Spin is bound to feature, yet the visitors plainly want insurance pace on a fresh pitch that could sweat under late-November humidity.
Conrad summed it up without fuss: “We’re 1-0 up. The job now is to pick the fit quicks and keep things simple.”
