Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra shared his opinion on Virat Kohli’s dismissal during the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Aakash Chopra claimed that Virat Kohli’s dismissal was legitimate and urged certain fans to choose wisely.
Kolkata Knight Riders set a challenging target of 223 runs at Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 21. Phil Salt provided an explosive start for the team, scoring 48 runs off 14 balls. The KKR team lost wickets on fast wickets in the middle but captain Shreyas Iyer scored a crucial half-century.
In the case of 223 runs, Virat Kohli was caught and bowled by Harshit Rana on the first ball of the third over. The former RCB captain, standing outside the box, failed to take a full delivery which he played above his waist. Rana completed a simple return catch, leading to Kohli’s dismissal.
The 35-year-old batsman questioned the on-field umpire’s decision to dismiss him, believing the ball was a waist-high full delivery and therefore a no-ball. However, replays showed that the slower ball had sunk by the time it reached the batter. Kohli was not inside the box at the time of impact.
Tracking the ball revealed that if Kohli had been inside the batting crease in his usual stance, the ball would have been below waist height. The RCB batsman was visibly disappointed at the dismissal and shook his head. He exchanged heated words with the referees before leaving the field.
People who complain about the existing law – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to urge careful consideration and sound decision-making regarding these matters.
“People who complain about the existing ball height law measured in the blast area, please consider this: what happens if the batter decides to walk toward the pitcher as he runs in… and is 10 feet away or further outside the blast area at the time of release. Should the bowler be forced to alter the length that much?
“Or in that case, should the bowler also be allowed to forget about the crease and bowl a big no-ball? Where does it end? It’s easier to go with the flow and appease a particular fan base, but it’s not that difficult” . Think about it well too. Choose wisely,” said Aakash Chopra.
Virat Kohli made a quick 18 runs off seven balls with two sixes and a four. The team lost the wicket of Faf du Plessis, leaving them at 35/2. Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar played crucial innings during the challenging run chase. Both batsmen scored half-centuries to stabilize RCB’s innings.
The RCB team lost a flurry of wickets when they were in a position for a comfortable victory. Even Dinesh Karthik’s efforts (25 off 18 balls) were not enough to secure victory. Karn Sharma managed to score three sixes in Mitchell Starc’s last over, but the team fell short of the target.
Also Read: SRH vs RCB: Virat Kohli fights with umpires, Faf du Plessis fined by BCCI
