Negi beat the likes of Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Ryan ten Doeschate with his flight and guile on way to a memorable spell in only his second match of the tournament for the Chennai Super Kings.
"It really was a perfect night for me. I never thought I would get to play the game in the first place but looking at the pitch, coach (Stephen Fleming) decided to field me and I am glad I could repay the faith," the Delhi-born Negi told PTI after returning home from Bangalore.
"There are not a lot of people in Delhi with whom I can discuss my bowling. That way spending time with Jaddu bhai (Jadeja) and Ashwin bhai in the nets proved quite helpful, even when was not getting a game. And anyway I was told by coach Fleming to be ready for my chance. He said it could come anytime," said the diminutive cricketer, who has just played two first-class games for Delhi since his debut in 2011.
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"Initially I was nervous with Dhoni bhai, Fleming, Andy Bichel (bowling coach) and other big names around. But now I am okay with the dressing room atmosphere, it feels like family. Overall it has been a thorough learning experience. You don't get to bowl to top-quality batsmen that often in domestic cricket as you do in IPL and CLT20," he said.
While Jadeja and Ashwin are known to use a lot of variations, Negi keeps it simple. He made it a point to bowl slower through the air and fox the batsmen in the flight.