"Remember Joe Root’s LBW" - Aakash Chopra reacts to Chamari Athapaththu's controversial dismissal in WPL 2024

Aakash Chopra reacted to Chamari Athapaththu’s controversial dismissal during the 11th match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024. Aakash Chopra drew parallels between Chamari Athapaththu’s dismissal and Joe Root’s dismissal in the Ranchi Test match.

The UP Warriorz suffered a 23-run loss against the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (RCBW) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, March 4. The Alyssa Healy-led team managed to score 178 runs while chasing a formidable target of 199 runs.

Chamari Athapaththu’s dismissal during the league stage match sparked controversy. The Sri Lankan all-rounder attempted a sweep shot against leg spinner Georgia Wareham but failed to connect. The ball dipped in front of the batter and hit her on the front pad.

The on-field umpire gave it not out before RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana reviewed the decision. The Hawkeye confirmed that the ball would have hit the stumps. Alyssa Healy and Athapaththu were stunned after seeing the replay as Wareham bowled a leg-spin delivery.

This Is A Leg Spin Delivery – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra mentioned he would like to hear Hawkeye’s perspective on the decision, highlighting that the bowler delivered a leg-spin delivery.

“This is a leg-spin delivery. The ball pitches really close to the foot. Hawkeye’s projection takes it as a straight ball/googly…shows hitting the middle stump. Would love to hear Hawkeye’s explanation for this. Do more errors happen when the ball is pitching really close to the impact on the pads? Remember Joe Root’s LBW was a half-volley too,” said Chopra.

However, the Warriorz’s defeat wasn’t solely attributed to Chamari Athapaththu’s dismissal. UP Warriorz restricted the score to 63/2 as Athapaththu was dismissed for 8 runs off 8 balls. The middle-order batters failed to guide the team to victory against the RCB team.

Massive Turning Point For Us – UP Warriorz coach

UP Warriorz coach Jon Lewis labeled it the turning point of the game, expressing immense frustration for his team. Lewis highlighted the unusual rotation of the ball.

“You watch the ball with the naked eye, and you think it might pitch in line, just maybe. Then you look at the ball rotating, and well, it’s rotating like a legspinner. There are not many legspinners that go towards that [other] side. It was a fascinating dismissal and a massive turning point for us in that game,” Lewis said after the game.

RCB Women Recorded Their 3rd Win In WPL 2024

Earlier, RCBW scored 198/3 while batting first, powered by half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and all-rounder Ellyse Perry. Mandhana scored 80 runs off 50 balls, while Perry contributed 58 off 37 deliveries. They formed a crucial 115-run partnership for the second wicket.

Sabbhineni Meghana and Richa Ghosh also made valuable contributions with 28 (21) and 21 (10) runs, respectively. Anjali Saravani, Deepti Sharma, and Sophie Ecclestone claimed one wicket each for UPW.

During the chase, UPW reached 175/8 in their 20 overs, with contributions from Alyssa Healy (55 off 38), Deepti Sharma (33 off 22), and Poonam Khemnar (31 off 24). Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, and Asha Sobhana claimed two wickets each.

Also read: “Devdutt Padikkal is in great form but…” – Aakash Chopra expresses uncertainty over opener’s success in IPL 2024