Aakash Chopra rejects cheating claims after India beat Japan

Former India batsman Aakash Chopra said the overturned wide call during India's two-run win over Japan did not amount to cheating. The decision came in the final over and drew social-media criticism after India secured the narrow victory. Chopra stated that the umpires followed current ICC rules when they reversed the original call.

Chopra explained that the regulations treat switch hits and reverse sweeps identically and award the benefit of the doubt to the bowler once the batter changes stance. He added that his initial reading of the law was incorrect and that he had checked the wording after the match. He also said the reversal was not the result of pressure from Indian players.

The former opener argued that claims of unfair play were being made by people who wanted to criticise India regardless of the facts. He did not comment on whether the same outcome would have applied under earlier interpretations of the wide rule.