Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar recalled the incident, stating that the spectator was chanting anti-India slogans, which led to the Indian skipper losing his composure.

He also revealed that the spectator charged towards Srikkanth, and the game had to be stopped for a brief while as the security intervened to take all the necessary precautions. It is worth mentioning that the political tension between India and Pakistan had escalated in 1989, and the series between the two rivals was played amidst a highly charged political backdrop.

“During a match in Karachi, I was at mid-off when suddenly a man in local attire walked onto the field, shouting anti-India slogans. Before we could react, he charged straight at our captain, Krishnamachari Srikkanth,” said Manjrekar on the ‘Great Indian Cricket Show’ on Doordarshan.

“What followed was surreal. A full-blown scuffle in the middle of a Test match. Srikkanth fought back, his shirt buttons ripped, and the game stopped as security scrambled to intervene,” he added.

Kiran More jumped in

Manjrekar then further revealed that, upon seeing Srikkanth battling a fan, wicketkeeper-batter Kiran More jumped in, as he started to kick the intruder with his pads on.

“The funniest part? Kiran More jumped in to defend his captain and started kicking the intruder with his pads still on. It was chaos, like a street fight on a cricket pitch,” he said.

Speaking of the 1989 Karachi Test, the contest ended in a draw, but the match proved to be a cracker as India tried their best to chase down the tough total of more than 400.

In the chase, Manjrekar (113*) and Navjot Sidhu (85) helped India reach 303/3, and it was then that the two teams decided to call the game off by shaking hands.

In the first innings, Pakistan posted 409 runs on the board owing to skipper Imran Khan’s knock of 109 runs. Manoj Prabhakar took five wickets for India in the first innings while Kapil Dev scalped four.