Rohit Sharma had to deal with an awkward situation during Mumbai's Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018 quarter-final against Bihar in Bengaluru as a pitch invader tried to hug and kiss the Indian opener who was on domestic duty.
The vice-captain of the limited-overs team was leading Mumbai's chase of a paltry 70-run target when the fan breached security at the Just Cricket Academy Ground and ran towards the middle.
The fan touched the feet of Rohit and tried to hug and kiss him even as the Mumbai Indians star was trying to avoid the situation. In a video that is doing rounds online, the fan himself runs back to the stands even as lack of security officials at the venue raised concerns.
@Ateet_Sharma @manoj_dimri @vikrantgupta73 Rohit Sharma Fan In Vijay Hazare trophy pic.twitter.com/GGv6ehPvWb
— Abhinav Rai (@Abhinav9560) October 15, 2018
Reacting to the incident, Rohit Sharma's wife Ritika Sajdeh came up with a witty post, pulling India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's legs.
Ritika, while tagging Chahal, wrote on her Insta story: "You and I both have competition."
Ritika has often engaged in friendly banters with Chahal as the Royal Challengers Bangalore star keeps commenting on Rohit's Instagram posts.
Meanwhile, the pitch invasion in Bengaluru was the third such incident over the last two weeks as fans tried to click selfies and hug Virat Kohli during the recently-concluded two-Test series against the West Indies.
During the first Test in Rajkot, two fans jumped over the barricades and posed for selfies with Kohli while another fan tried to kiss the India captain during the second Test in Hyderabad.
While fans and streakers invading the pitch is not new to the sport, the frequency with which people have been able to breach security arrangements and get close to the cricketers should ring alarm bells.
