The 18-year-old, Rhituparno Pakhira, brought back memories of Sudhir Gautam, who is famous for being an avid fan of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Back in 2003, during an ODI against New Zealand in Cuttack, Sudhir climbed the fences and jumped onto the ground to touch the feet of his idol, Tendulkar. Security immediately rushed inside and caught him, but Tendulkar intervened and told the security guys not to beat up Sudhir and let him go.
A similar incident happened during the opening clash of the IPL 2025 game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at Eden Gardens, on Saturday, March 22. Rhituparno, a die-hard fan of Virat Kohli, climbed up the fences at Eden Gardens and touched his hero’s feet. The video of Rhituparno touching Kohli and later hugging him went instantly viral on social media. He was immediately arrested by Kolkata Police and put behind bars for two nights before being released on Monday, March 24.
Hailing from a lower-middle-class family in Kalapahar of Jamalpur Block in East Burdwan district, Rhituparno started to idolise Kohli’s batting at a young age.
So, with a vision of having a chat with the fan, yours truly took a 7 AM chord line train to the Burdwan district from Howrah station. I got down at Jougram station and took an auto to Kalapahar in Jamalpur Block as there were no other means of public transport. The auto driver stopped near a shop. The shop owner Madhav Pakhira introduced himself as the father of Rhituparno and guided me through a narrow lane between the mud houses.
The Pakhiras live in a one-storeyed house; the construction was incomplete due to lack of funds. As I entered the house, I was greeted by Rhituparno and his mother. The room in which he stays had several photographs of Kohli on the walls. As he started narrating his experience of meeting Kohli at Eden Gardens, his elder sister brought a certificate of him representing his school U19 team. The 17-year-old also played for the Beleghata club before taking a break for his Higher Secondary exams.
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“I am very happy despite what happened. Virat Sir is like a God to me and I am happy that I could meet him and touch his feet,” says Rhituparno in one breath.
He continues saying, “I also hugged Sir (Virat Kohli) and his jersey was quite drenched in sweat. This was the shirt I was wearing and I have told my mother not to wash it. I am going to frame this shirt along with the ribbon I was wearing on my head as I touched his feet.”
“Virat Sir asked my name and said ‘bhai, tu chala ja abhi’. He also asked security not to do anything to me.”
What followed was two sleepless nights for the entire family as Rhituparno was arrested and put behind bars by Maidan PS. He was released by the court with a condition that he won’t be allowed to watch another game at Eden Gardens, in the ongoing IPL.
According to Rhituparno, “I do not bother at all as I have already fulfilled my dream of meeting my God in person and touching his feet. I will watch the matches on my phone this season.”
🚨Rhituparno Pakhira, the fan who climbed the fences at Eden Gardens to touch the feet of #ViratKohli has no regret for his act but also shares an important message for all fans.@debasissen captures the emotions of Rhituparno, his family, neighbours and friends in this… pic.twitter.com/JdGn38q7NX
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) March 26, 2025
His family had mixed emotions. Rhituparno’s mother, Kakoli was upset with his son’s actions and shared a piece of advice for him. “I want my son to work hard like Virat Kohli. What he did was totally wrong as he shouldn’t be breaking the rules,” she said.
His two elder sisters also shared the same opinion about their brother. According to Poulomi, who is the eldest sister, “My brother should not have broken the protocol. There is a rule in place for everyone and should be followed. We were very concerned after he was arrested. I did not tell my father what happened, the night of the match. We are happy as well that my brother could meet Virat.”
For Rhituparno, it was a dream come true but at the same time there is a realisation that what he did was not right. For the next two months, the 18-year-old would be glued to his mobile every time his idol walked out to bat in the IPL. Yes, the shirt that he wore on that unforgettable night is all set to find a place in one of those walls, duly framed.
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