World Cup 2023: Pitch invader wearing 'Stop bombing Palestine' T-shirt halts India vs Australia final

The ongoing India vs Australia ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad was interrupted briefly in the first innings when a pitch invader, supporting Palestine in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, stormed across the turf and attempted to hug Virat Kohli. 

The incident transpired during the 14th over of the match when the fan, giving the security cordon a slip, managed to reach Kohli. Images and videos on social media showed the man wearing a white T-shirt with the caption "Stop bombing Palestine" written on the front while "free Palestine" on the back. He was also carrying what seemed like a Pride flag while wearing a face mask that had a Palestinian flag on it.  

The fan waltzed across the ground when Kohli was batting with KL Rahul after India lost three wickets within the first 11 overs. 

The security members chased the man and managed to remove him from Kohli and take him out of the park. According to reports, the local police have arrested the man for breach of security. 

Not the first instance 

Notably, this is the second instance when a pitch invader has interrupted the game between these two sides in the World Cup. During the opening game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, notorious pitch invader Daniel Jarvis, also known as Jarvo 69, sauntered across the playing arena, dressed in the Indian jersey. 

The repeat offender managed to make his way onto the playing turf and interacted with former Indian skipper Virat Kohli. While Jarvo 69 talked to Kohli, the security personnel arrived and escorted him out of the ground.

India vs Australia

Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss in the big final and offered the hosts to bat first. India were off the blocks in fine fashion once again, courtesy of Rohit Sharma. However, Shubman Gill failed on the big stage, miscuing a pull straight down to Adam Zampa at mid-on. 

Sharma continued his onslaught but was brought down by a stunning catch from Travis Head while backtracking from backward point position. Shreyas Iyer could not last long either as India were reduced to 81 for 3 in 11 overs. 

As of the last update, the pair of Kohli-Rahul had failed to get a boundary for more than 10 overs. 

Playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood