Step 1: Plan of attack: We will replace the phrase in the sentence with each option and see which one makes sense in the context of a phone call and a realisation.
Step 2: Test choice 1. Replace the phrase with 'To hit as a kick' and the sentence no longer makes sense for a thought. Reject.
Step 3: Test choice 2. Replace it with 'To attack suddenly' and the sentence again makes no sense. Reject.
Step 4: Test choice 3. Replace it with 'It came to my mind suddenly, here is a man who...' and the sentence reads perfectly. Accept.
Step 5: Test choice 4. Replace it with 'To take down' and it makes no sense, even though demolition is in the story. Reject.
Step 6: Put the answer back and re-read: Read the question again in full: Choose the best option to explain the given phrase. It struck me Now place the choice "To come to mind suddenly" into it. The sentence stays natural, it agrees with the passage, and it adds no new fact of its own. Each of the other three choices fails at least one of these checks, as the tests above showed. A choice that fails even one check cannot be the best answer.
Final Answer: Only the third replacement reads naturally, so the answer is option 3. \[\boxed{3}\]
