In a off-the-wall incident, a Delhi man drove his Maruti Wagon R onto the pitch during an ongoing Ranji Trophy Match. Identified as Girish Sharma, 32, the man claimed that he had lost his way and since there was no security at the entrance, he drove his car onto the Air Force ground in Palam. The incident startled the players and umpires. Players said that while they were shaken, they did not panic. Delhi all-rounder Manan Sharma said, “I had just taken a wicket when we saw the car coming in. Suddenly, the driver took a turn, and came towards the pitch. He took two rounds of the pitch area and then left. We were all shocked and speechless... May be the gate was open. At Palam, you can't see the gate, so nobody saw the car coming in... As he came and left within minutes, we were all taken by surprise.”
Security officials eventually caught Sharma and handed him over to the Air Force police who handed him over to the Delhi Police. After an hour of interrogation at the Sadar Bazaar police station, DCP (southwest district) Shibhesh Singh said, “We have called his family members and his father told the police that he was undergoing medical treatment for depression following a marital dispute. Ishant Sharma, who was playing for Delhi, tweeted the incident. “Drive in theater just progressed to #DriveIN match. Shocking scene in between #RanjiTrophy match today witnessed with @GautamGambhir.”
Uttar Pradesh captain Suresh Raina tweeted, “Very disturbing to see our Ranji Trophy game being interrupted in this fashion today! Thankfully all players are safe.”
