In a dramatic breach of security during the India vs South Africa first ODI in Ranchi on Sunday, play was briefly halted when an over-enthusiastic fan sprinted onto the field and attempted to touch Virat Kohli’s feet.
The incident occurred when the batting stalwart brought up his 52nd ODI hundred in the 38th over of the first innings, leaving players momentarily startled and prompting immediate intervention by security personnel.
The spectator jumped the barricade near the western stand and ran straight toward Kohli, who was stationed at the striker’s end after hitting a boundary off Marco Jansen to reach the milestone.
The fan managed to come close to him and bent down in an apparent gesture of reverence before officials restrained him and escorted him off the ground.
Despite the disturbance, the match continued without further incident, with Kohli maintaining focus to hit 135 off 120 ball before being dismissed by Nandre Burger as India ended their innings at a mammoth 349.
The 36-year-old Kohli, who features only in ODIs now, having retired from T20Is and Test cricket, cracked 11 fours and seven sixes during his blistering knock. He made his runs at a brilliant strike rate of over 112.
With his 52nd ODI ton, he went past Sachin Tendulkar's feat of 51 Test centuries to become the batter with the most centuries in a single format of the game.
It was also his 83rd century in international cricket and the 7000th ton in men's international cricket overall.