Former South Africa pacer, Makhaya Ntini's son Thando will train in Mumbai under the watchful eyes of India captain Rohit Sharma's coach Dinesh Lad. Ntini who has 390 Test wickets to his name, was searching for a good coach in India. When he came to Raipur in 2021 to play in the Road Safety World Series T20 for the South Africa Legends, a member of the support staff put him in touch with Lad. “It was very good experience, the conditions are very different to home, really happy with my first day of practice today,” Thando said after his first training session with Lad. Talking about the thought behind his decision to get coached in Mumbai, the budding SA player said: “To further my game, to learn and to grow. It’s been off-season at home, so I’d rather grow my skill in an environment that is going to test me, than taking time off. It is good to be training and playing outside the country, getting to learn different skill set from different people.”
On Wednesday, Thando trained at the school ground, focusing mainly on his batting. “He is a technically sound batter. He told me he started bowling four years ago, but he has developed good pace,” said Lad. “Can't say his bowling action is identical to Ntini, but there are similarities.” “The dimensions of our school ground are comparatively small, so he couldn’t take his full run-up. We will move to Payadde Cricket Club, Kandivali, for the upcoming sessions. I requested Dr PV Shetty to allow him to train at his ground and he has agreed,” said Lad. A left-hand bat and right-arm fast bowler, Thando was part of South Africa’s 2018 Under-19 World Cup side and represented Western Province and Kwa-Zulu Natal (Dolphins) in South Africa’s domestic cricket. In 14 first-class games, the 21-year-old all-rounder has scored 1,038 runs and taken 32 wickets. In 14 T20 games, he has 409 runs and 16 wickets. Lad has shaped the early careers of Rohit Sharma and Shardul Thakur. Lad’s son Siddhesh has also captained Mumbai while another of his trainees, Harmeet Singh, played for India Under-19 and Ranji Trophy.
