RANJI TROPHY

Man drives car onto the pitch to stall Delhi-UP Ranji game

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The incident took place at 4.40pm on the third day during Uttar Pradesh's second innings © BCCL

By Sabi Hussain

International cricketers Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma, Rishabh Pant and their Delhi teammates survived a major security scare on Friday evening during their Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh, as a youngster drove his car on to the pitch at the Palam Grounds here when the exciting final session of the play was underway.

In a first of its kind incident, a Delhi resident, Girish Sharma, from Buddh Vihar locality, drove his WagonR in full speed inside the stadium and entered the field of play upon finding that no guard was stationed at the Air Force stadium gate. The incident happened at 4.40pm on the third day during Uttar Pradesh's second innings.

As the Delhi fielders and UP batsmen - Akshdeep Nath and Imtiaz Ahmed - ran to save themselves from getting hit by the car, Girish - who later told police that he works for the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) at its Parliament Street branch - tried to make an '8' on the pitch as if he had come for a driving test.

Gambhir barely escaped being knocked down when Sharma took a sharp turn on the pitch. When Sharma tried to flee the scene, Air Force security guard, Anubhav Kumar, managed to stop his car with the help of spectators at the gate and handed him over to his seniors. Kumar, who was supposed to be stationed at the gate but was enjoying the match near the pavilion area at the time of the incident, was immediately taken off duty.

Girish, who was thrashed by the security staff attached with the Delhi team and the Air Force personnel, later told the interrogators that he did so out of his "love for the game" and to earn his "two minutes of fame".

Later, while speaking to TOI, Girish came up with a bizarre explanation: "I was on my way back to the Buddh Vihar after dropping my sister at the domestic airport. She was flying to Bengaluru. On my way, I saw that a cricket match was being played at the Palam Grounds. After realizing that no one was guarding the entry gate, I took my car on to the field and tried to meet the players."

However, a security guard employed by the Air Force had a different take on the matter: "In the morning, a spectator scaled the stadium's boundary wall and tried to enter the field of play. He was let off only after a sound thrashing by the Air Force personnel. This guy Girish is a friend of that spectator and had come to take revenge for his insult. He himself admitted to this." When TOI asked Girish about it, he rubbished the theory.

Ishant, when approached for his reaction, said: "Of course, it's a major security breach. We couldn't understand for a moment what was happening." Another Delhi team management official said, "I have never seen or heard of such an incident in the history of cricket. I can recall digging of pitches by right-wing groups or some other incidents, but nothing like this."

Match referee, Narayanan Kutty , said: "He would be handed over to Delhi Police for further interrogation. The match would continue on the fourth and final day. We are treating it as a stray incident but it's a security breach and one would have to be careful about such incidents in future."

© TNN

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