Watch: The Wholesome Moment MS Dhoni Hugged A Pitch Invader Who Touched His Feet

There is little doubt that MS Dhoni is one of the most popular cricketers in India. During the IPL season, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans go all out to show support to Thala, a nickname given to Dhoni, which translates to ‘leader’ in Tamil. During Friday’s match between GT and CSK, a Dhoni fan went out of his way to express his love for the cricketer. While the match was in progress, the fan crossed over the boundary and invaded the pitch. With lightning speed, he reached Dhoni and bowed down to touch the former skipper’s feet.

Dhoni then embraced the fan and tried to pacify him as security rushed towards the pitch invader and escorted him away. Now, a video of this pitch invasion is going viral. While many people think that pitch invasions are just an expression of extreme love for the player and even add to the entertainment value of the match, others argue that such antics compromise the security of the players and disrupt the flow of the match.

A video of the above-mentioned pitch invasion has gathered over 6 lakh views in less than a day. Commenting on it, an X user highlighted Dhoni’s popularity and wrote, “There is no match in love for a cricketer when it comes to the comparison between Mahi and all the Cricketers in the world of all time. He is in a different place now.”

An user noted how Dhoni handled the situation in the best way possible and said, “His actions limited disruption to the game. He led the intruder away from the pitch, in a way pinned the guy to himself which helped officials quickly wrest back control and resume the game. Also gave fanboy moments to the intruder. All go back happy-happy.”

Expressing a different sentiment, a person remarked, “I hope someday no one stabs our beloved cricketers. Security has become a joke. To all security personnel, please pay attention to the crowd and not to the match.”

An individual also questioned the ground staff’s preparation to prevent pitch invasions and stated, “Never understood why ground staff only starts to run when someone has probably run into the file by at least 30-40 yards.”

In Friday’s match, Gujarat won against the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side by 35 balls. Dhoni batted at number eight and played 11 balls. During his innings, he scored 26 runs with three impressive sixes.