Rohit Sharma was left stunned and embarrassed after a fan attempted to kiss him during Mumbai's clash against Bihar in the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Just Cricket Academy ground, Bengaluru on Sunday.
The 31-year-old batsman who had just led India to a record seventh Asia Cup triumph was clearly unprepared for this challenge as the fan made his way down to the crease. Taking advantage of the confusion, he first attempted to touch Sharma's feet before lunging forward and trying to plant a kiss on his cheeks, leaving the cricketer bemused.
@Ateet_Sharma @manoj_dimri @vikrantgupta73 Rohit Sharma Fan In Vijay Hazare trophy pic.twitter.com/GGv6ehPvWb
— Abhinav Rai (@Abhinav9560) October 15, 2018
The incident even caught the attention of Sharma's wife Ritika Sajdeh who posted a tongue-in-cheek response through an Instagram status update, labelling the pitch invader as potential competition for her, cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal.
Chahal had an equally witty response to the incident, feigning shock at the situation. His message read, “Bhabhi yeah kya ho raha hai, yeah kya ho raha hai.”
Mumbai were handy a paltry target of 70 runs to chase for entering the semifinals which they ensured without much ado following the incident, with Sharma remaining unbeaten on 33.
It marks the third such instance in recent times after fans attempted to similarly get close to Indian skipper Virat Kohli during the 2 Test matches against the West Indies at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot and the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
