IND vs SA | Twitter winces as Samson makes umpire collapse on-field with brutal blow to knee

India feasted on a flat Narendra Modi deck in the fifth T20I against South Africa to put the visitors to the sword with some brutal power hitting and boundaries racing through the lightning fast outfield. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma set the foundation for the fireworks, combining for 67 runs within the powerplay with the former going on to score a rapid 22-ball 37 laced with four fours and a couple of maximums. However, the Proteas bowlers were not the only victims of his unfettered strokeplay.

On the fourth ball of the ninth over, George Linde trundled in from around the stumps and bowled very full around the fifth stump line to cramp the opener for time. However, Samson was waiting for it as he created room early, stood tall, and with a furious swing of the bat hit through the line to send the Kookaburra flying back across the deck. Linde recognized an opportunity for a catch and instinctively brought his hands up but the Kookaburra was already past them as they smashed into his thigh, deflecting off it to hit umpire Rohan Pandit square on his right knee. Officiating just his 12th T20I, Pandit fervently flailed his leg to shake off the pain even as he put on a brave face to keep track of the action but as soon as the batsmen completed the single, he collapsed to the floor wincing in pain. Physios from both the teams rushed out to massage some ice on the bruise, not without a slight smirk on their faces, as giggles emanated from various pockets of the gtround. Commentator Dale Steyn was quick to tag Pandit LBW, with colleague Sunil Gavaskar clarifying he was leg behind wicket and not leg before.

Twitterati, likewise, had a field day with it.

Ouch!

Hurt!

yes!

Umpire got injured!

Haha!

Action!

Yeah!

oops!

Hurt!