"The third umpire's hands are tied" - Aakash Chopra on Matthew Wade's dismissal during Gujarat Titans' innings vs RCB in IPL 2022

Aakash Chopra has questioned the lack of flexibility in the laws of cricket, which contributed to Matthew Wade's dismissal during the Gujarat Titans' (GT) innings in Thursday's (May 19) IPL 2022 encounter against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Wade was given out leg-before-wicket by the on-field umpire while playing a sweep shot off Glenn Maxwell's bowling. The Gujarat Titans wicketkeeper-batter reviewed the decision immediately but the call was not reversed as ultra-edge did not show a spike even though the ball seemed to have deviated from its path after passing the bat.

While reflecting on the Gujarat Titans' batting effort in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra had the following to say about Wade's dismissal:

"Maxi (Maxwell) took a brilliant catch of Shubman Gill. After that, Matthew Wade was there. There were a lot of discussions if it was out or not, he was not out but the third umpire's hands are tied these days because there is no flexibility in the law, there is no common sense."

The former India batter added that the third umpire shouldn't use just the technological evidence while making the decisions. Chopra elaborated:

"You are seeing that it has gone after hitting the bat but ultra-edge is saying that it has not hit, so he was given out, thank you. Involve the third umpire a little more, if the on-field umpire has made a mistake or if the technology is not saying the right thing, please go for it, you correct it but the permission is not there."

Wade, who has not had a great IPL 2022, was disgruntled by the decision. He vented his anger when he returned to the dressing room, violently throwing his bat and helmet and smashing a few items.

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"Wriddhiman Saha batted really well" - Aakash Chopra on the rest of the Gujarat Titans batters

Wriddhiman Saha gave the initial impetus to the Gujarat Titans innings [P/C: iplt20.com]

While lauding Wriddhiman Saha's knock against RCB, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the opener's injury could be a concern for the Gujarat Titans. The latter observed:

"Wriddhiman Saha batted really well. If he hadn't gotten run out, I feel he would have scored 50-60. Let's also remember that a hamstring problem has come, it could be a huge issue when Gujarat plays Qualifier 1, if Saha is not there, this team could have a problem."

The reputed commentator also appreciated Hardik Pandya for being back amongst the runs after a lean patch. Chopra stated:

"Hardik Pandya finally, the old Hardik Pandya was seen slightly which was good to see. Scoring runs is necessary - you command respect, you don't demand respect and you can only command when runs come from your bat. Miller was actually very good."

While Pandya top-scored for the Gujarat Titans with a 62-run knock, Saha and David Miller contributed 31 and 34 runs respectively. Their efforts helped the IPL point table-toppers set a decent 169-run target for RCB, but Faf du Plessis' side won the match by eight wickets with eight deliveries to spare.