Fan breaches security in Ranchi to touch Virat Kohli's feet after his 83rd international hundred

Virat Kohli was in full flow during the first game of the three-match ODI series against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday (November 30). The 37-year-old notched up his 83rd international hundred in a knock of excellent rhythm from the get-go. It was his 52nd hundred in ODI cricket and second of the year.

As soon as he got to his hundred with a boundary, Kohli let out the signature celebratory jump with a fist-pump to thrill the viewers at the ground. There was a lot of emotion on show, which suggested that this knock meant a lot more to him than his recent hundreds. It must be noted that Kohli started the Australian series with two successive ducks and there were retirement rumours everywhere.

Moments after he made his statement hundred, a hardcore fan rushed into the ground after evading security and managed to touch Kohli's feet. He was eventually escorted away and evicted from the stadium. It is not the first time that a fan has invaded into the ground to touch Virat Kohli, it has happened previously to him and also to the likes of MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar.

The fan moment showed the level of craze Kohli still commands, even at the fag end of his international career. As for the innings, it was top draw strokeplay and high intent from the veteran whose only slowdown came after he raced into the 80s. However, that was also a period when India lost a few wickets, which threatened an implosion.

KL Rahul, though, gave Kohli good support although the stand-in skipper was far from his fluent best. The crucial part was that he stitched a partnership and Kohli then cut loose after his century, showing a particular liking for off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen.

Eventually, his innings ended when he tried to take on Nandre Burger, only to miscue it over mid-off where Ryan Rickelton took a fantastic overhead catch.