SL v IND 2024: “Virat Kohli knew ball didn’t hit his bat”- Aakash Chopra’s intriguing take on LBW controversy  

India lost the 2nd ODI by 32 runs with Virat Kohli scoring 14 runs.

Virat Kohli was involved in a controversy during India’s loss to Sri Lanka in the second ODI on August 4 in Colombo. And now Aakash Chopra, the former India opener, has said that even the batter knew that he hadn't hit the ball and it became a big issue. 

Kohli was adjudged LBW when he missed a shot against Akila Dhananjaya in the 15^th over of India’s chase of 240 runs. However, Kohli opted for DRS after discussing it with Shubman Gill.

The ruling was reversed because the extreme edge revealed a spike when the ball was close to the bat. There was clear daylight between bat and ball, and the Sri Lanka players were furious with the umpire's decision, unable to believe what had happened. Keeper Kusal Mendis even threw his helmet on the ground.

But the decision didn’t hurt Sri Lanka much as Jeffry Vandersay dismissed Kohli for 14 runs as India collapsed to 208 runs and lost the game by 32 runs.

"Kohli's dismissal was very interesting. The ball hit his back-pad and he reviewed immediately. But he also knew the ball hasn't hit the bat. But Ultra Edge said it had! It became a big issue because everyone felt it could have been Akila Dananjaya's wicket.

Even if the opposition bowlers aren't of great quality, we are struggling," he said (6:10). "You know why? Because we are no longer used to these wickets. We play very well on flat tracks, even spin, better than most teams. We also bowl better spin on flatter tracks. But when the ball is turning, we fall on our knees,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.  

Chopra also made a mention of skipper Rohit Sharma who top-scored with a 64 (44) in the match, saying he's the only one who's managing spin effectively. Further speaking on Rohit, Chopra said his standing shots are making a basic thing like footwork look "overrated".

"Rohit has been batting well, hitting sixes while standing still..." Chopra said (3:30). "He has hit 302 sixes as an opener which is only behind Chris Gayle in ODIs. Sometimes he even shows that footwork is overrated... He's even doing it against spin. He has hit two half-centuries in consecutive matches so he's doing his job and scoring quickly so others can take their time,” Chopra added.

The third and final ODI of the series will be held on Wednesday (August 7).