India captain Rohit Sharma had a security scare during the team's training session in New York, ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland. As a fan breached security to meet Rohit, he was caught by officials at the ground, prompting Rohit to even suggest that the intruder should be dealt with a little easily. During the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Rohit was even asked about the incident by a reporter, but the Indian captain wasn't happy to be put under the spotlight for this incident.
At the press conference, ahead of India's match against Ireland, Rohit was asked by a reporter: "During the warm up game, a fan had suddenly come on the ground. The way the security caught him, you were requesting him to take it easy. Can you tell us about the emotion at that time?"
Rohit was visibly disappointed at the question and said that both the incident and the question were wrong.
"Sabse pahle toh main bolunga ki koi bhi aise ground mein intrude na kare. Ye sahi nahi hai aur yeh sawal bhi sahi nahi thha (See, first of all, I would say that no one should intrude into the ground. This is not right. And this question was also not right, because we don't want to promote this thing that who is running and coming to the ground)," Rohit said.
The India captain further stressed on the importance of players' security, as well as the spectators. For this to happen, certain rules have to be followed, Rohit asserted.
"I think, players' security is important, similarly, the security of the people outside is also important. We are playing cricket, yes, but the people sitting outside, it is important for them to understand that there are rules and regulations for every country. It is very important to follow them and understand them. So, that's all I can say. Now, what more can I say?
"See, the rules are different in India and here. So, understand the rules, what is there and what is not. See the match, they have made such a good stadium. You can watch the match comfortably. No need to run to the ground, no need to do all this, I think," the Indian captain added.
"No, no, it's not a distraction. Look, our focus is on some other things. We don't focus on who is running to the ground and what to do. I don't think that any player will be distracted by that. Because a lot of big things are going through their minds. How to win a match, how to make a run, how to take a wicket. I'm sure everyone is thinking about that. So, I don't think that players can be distracted by such things. So, I don't think we can distract the players."