Pitch invader hugs Virat Kohli as 'Kohli, Kohli' chants echo in Indore stadium

Listen to Story Virat Kohli's return to the T20I format on Sunday, January 14 saw the fans in Indore failing to contain their excitement as a pitch invader made a dash to hug the star batter. Kohli was making his return to the shortest format on the international stage after a hiatus of 14 months in a bid to be in contention for the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

The star batter, along with Rohit Sharma, are reportedly keen to be on the plane for the upcoming ICC event in the Carribean and the USA in June this year. Kohli had missed the first match in Mohali for personal reasons. Kohli would make a return to the side in place of Tilak Varma and was busy on the field as Afghanistan was asked to bat first on the night.

The visitors put up a competitive performance with the bat as they managed to set a challenging target of 173 runs. The innings was bolstered by a significant contribution from Gulbadin Naib, who scored a brisk 57 off 35 balls, showcasing his batting prowess with a quick half century. Despite losing wickets towards the end, Afghanistan's late surge helped them reach a total of 172 all out in their allotted 20 overs.

The final over of their innings was particularly eventful as they lost four wickets, which included a team hat trick for India. Arshdeep Singh was instrumental in the closing stages, claiming three wickets in the 20th over. Kohli would take the catch of Noor Ahmad in the final over. It seems like it was during this time that a pitch invader would come on to the ground to hug the Indian star.

Throughout the game, chants of 'Kohli, Kohli' echoed throughout the stadium from the very first ball of the innings as the fans were happy to see the star batter back. Kohli would also show that he was in sensational form with the bat as he scored 29 off 16 balls as he looked to attack the bowlers in the powerplay overs.

India had lost Rohit Sharma for a duck in the first over and Kohli would hit five boundaries in his knock. Kohli was dismissed by Naveen ul Haq in an attempt to continue his free scoring touch on the day..