A powerful drive from Sanju Samson down the ground ricocheted off spinner Donovan Ferreira’s hand and onto on-field umpire Rohan Pandit’s right knee because Pandit was unable to get out of the way in time. Pandit had a terrible experience during the fifth Twenty20 International between India and South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which caused him to tumble and cry in agony.
In the last game of the series, India was batting first when the incident occurred on the fourth delivery of the ninth over. Samson attempted to push the attack further onto Ferreira after an exciting opening to the over in which Tilak Varma had already claimed a few boundaries. He did this by driving a full-length ball back towards the bowler. The ball struck Pandit’s knee, though, and the bowler attempted to catch it but was unable.
Samson and the other athletes on the field also enquired about the umpire’s well-being.
The physiotherapist for the Indian squad quickly raced to the ground and administered some restorative care to the on-field referee. Pandit was back on his feet after a short break in play, and the game continued. However, given that any physical contact can result in severe injuries, it sparked questions about the safety of the on-field referees.
View the incident’s video here.
Samson brother don’t hit the Umpire, we are already against the Universe 😭#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/urTYzZmGQt
— బాలు (@balu_holic) December 19, 2025
Notably, Shubman Gill’s leg ailment allowed Samson to return to the team and play his first innings in the five-match series. Abhishek Sharma and the Kerala native opened together, adding 63 runs for the first wicket in India’s most successful first-wicket partnership of the series.
In just one game, Samson surpassed Gill’s total number of runs during the series by smashing a promising 22-ball 37 at Motera, which put the Men in Blue in a strong position to win the series.
While the vice captain was consistently supported to open despite a bad run of form, Samson had been absent from the starting lineup for a considerable amount of time. It will be intriguing to watch if Samson is given preference over Gill as the Indian team prepares to defend their championship at the T20 World Cup 2026 in a few months. The BCCI will announce the preliminary roster for the 20-team competition on Saturday.
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