Security personnel came to Virat Kohli's rescue as a man breached the security cordon at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad to pose for a selfie with the Indian skipper on the field on Friday, October 12.
The play was stopped briefly when the fan jumped over the barricade and ran into the ground during the first session on Day 1 of the ongoing second Test between India and the West Indies.
The fan was spotted taking selfies with Kohli after the 15th over of morning session. Even as the Indian captain was trying to avoid posing, the man tried to kiss Kohli, according to reports.
The unruly fan was then whisked away by the security personnel. Nonetheless, the brief stoppage of play allowed the umpires and players take the drinks break on a hot morning in the South Indian city.
#IndvsWI We had seen it in the first Test and now it's happened again. A fan rushes to the ground and forces a selfie with @imVkohli. To the captain's shock, the fan tries to kiss him as well. What's the security doing? @DeccanHerald #Kohli #2ndTest #BCCI #Cricket
— Vivek Mysore (@mysorevivekmv) October 12, 2018
This is not the first time fans have tried to meet and greet Kohli on the field. During the first Test between the two sides in Rajkot last week, a couple of pitch invaders got hold of Kohli, who was batting and clicked selfies.
Despite the strong security arrangements, fans, over the years, have jumped past barricades and entered the ground to meet their idols. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni have seen quite a few pitch invaders over the course of their celebrated careers.
Kohli though would have been happy with their bowlers' performances in the first session of the Test. After losing the toss, India were handed an early blow when debutant pacer Shardul Thakur limped off with a groin strain after bowling just 10 balls with the red cherry.
Nonetheless, spinner R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav struck once and Umesh Yadav joined the party in the over before Lunch to leave West Indies at 86 for 3. The pacer got the important wicket of Shai Hope, who was looking set on 36.
Having won the first Test by a record margin of an innings and 272 runs, India will be hoping to complete a whitewash and head into the ODI series, starting October 21, on a high.
