Navdeep Saini hilariously slumped to the ground after a helmet blow moments after reassuring the bowler he was fine during the dying moments of the Delhi-Tamil Nadu clash in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
Tamil Nadu had posted a huge 674-6d in the first innings, led by a knock of 152 by Washington Sundar. In reply, Delhi were unable to put up any sort of a fight in the second innings and were bowled out were 266, giving Tamil Nadu a 408-run lead.
They were asked to follow on on day four but the outcome remained the same: They lost opener Yash Dhull early but Sanat Sangwan fought back, with a knock of 83 in 231 balls. Along with skipper Himmat Singh, he took Delhi’s score to 112-2 but it fell apart thereafter. Delhi were soon reduced 180-8, needing their tail-enders to hold on for a draw.
Saini, who batted at No.6, offered some resistance, making 15* off 64 balls but a particular incident stood out. While batting, he was hit on the helmet by a delivery that bounced up sharply as he attempted to duck away. He immediately got up and signalled a thumbs up to the bowler. Just moments later, he was seen clutching his helmet before dropping his bat to the ground and lying down on his back, suggesting he was in pain.
The incident drew comparisons with Gulbadin Naib’s antics when he had famously clutched onto his hamstring to slow down the game during Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup clash with Australia earlier this year.
Delhi managed to walk away with a draw, ending with 193-8 on Monday.
Watch Saini’s theatrics here:
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
