[Watch] Pitch intruder halts play during IND vs AUS 2023 World Cup final

A pitch intruder halted play for a few moments during the ongoing 2023 World Cup final between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19. The incident occurred in the 14th over of India's innings bowled by Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa.

The pitch intruder ran towards Virat Kohli with a couple of messages on the T-shirt ‘Stop bombing Palestine’ in front and 'Free Palestine' on the back coupled with a mask and flag amid the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict.

Following the incident, there was a short break as the officials took him away. In the meantime, Kohli and KL Rahul took the opportunity for a conversation.

For the unversed, the two teams are playing in a World Cup final for the second time. Back in 2003, the Ricky Ponting-led Australia beat Sourav Ganguly’s India by 125 runs in the final. The Men in Blue will be keen to avenge the loss.

India reached the final by defeating New Zealand by 70 runs in the first semifinal, while Australia beat South Africa by three wickets in the second semifinal.

The Men in Blue are coming on the back of a 10-match winning streak, while the Pat Cummins-led side bounced back to win eight games on the trot after losing their first two matches.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul steady India after early jolts in 2023 World Cup final

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul steadied India's innings after early jolts in the 2023 World Cup final on Sunday.

For the unversed, the duo will look to recover India once again from a poor situation (81/3). They played a massive role against Australia in their previous outing at the ongoing event, returning with scores of 85 and 97*, respectively. India won that match by six wickets.

At the time of writing, India were 131/3 after 25 overs, with Kohli (48 off 54) and KL Rahul (25 off 54) at the crease.

India captain Rohit Sharma departed after giving a flying start, scoring 47 off 31 balls, including three maximums and four boundaries. The 36-year-old fell prey to off-spinner Glenn Maxwell as Travis Head took a stunning catch while running backward.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer fell to Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, respectively.

Follow the IND vs AUS 2023 World Cup final live score and updates here.