"It was not the wrong decision" - Aakash Chopra on UP Warriorz leaving out Grace Harris to play Shabnim Ismail in WPL 2023 clash against DC

Aakash Chopra feels the UP Warriorz (UPW) made the right call in playing Shabnim Ismail in place of Grace Harris in their Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC).

Ismail registered figures of 1/29 in her four overs in the match at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, March 7.

The Capitals set the Warriorz a mammoth 212-run target after being asked to bat first, led by Meg Lanning's brilliant 70-run knock. Alyssa Healy and Co. managed 169/5 in response, losing the match by 42 runs and suffering their first defeat of the tournament.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the UP Warriorz had no option but to leave out Harris, explaining:

"UP Warriorz decided to play Shabnim Ismail but they had to leave out Grace Harris, who was the player because of whom you won the last match. The main reason for that was that there was grass and moisture on the pitch. It was not the wrong decision to be very honest."

The former Indian opener pointed out that the Warriorz's hands were tied because of their picks at the auction, elaborating:

"Then you remember the auction strategy that you don't have any big Indian names. You didn't think about who you will get to bowl. So you have to choose between the two and you get stuck in the end and that's been the story with the UP Warriorz as well about how they can get the balance."

He added that Healy's decision to bowl first was also the right call. Chopra reasoned that it was supposedly easier to chase, which the Warriorz did successfully in their last game. He believes they wouldn't have wanted to bowl with a wet ball, considering the plethora of spinners in their lineup.

"Tahlia McGrath deserves applause" - Aakash Chopra on UP Warriorz all-rounder's fighting knock

Tahlia McGrath smashed an unbeaten 90 off 50 balls. [P/C: WPL/Twitter]

While asking for bigger contributions from Alyssa Healy, Chopra was all praise for Tahlia McGrath for playing a blazing knock, saying:

"There are more expectations from Alyssa Healy because you have come with such a big name and you are the captain of the team. Tahlia McGrath deserves applause because she played very well. It seemed at one stage that she will score an individual century but she fought till the end, and made the highest score of the WPL."

Tahlia McGrath brought @UPWarriorz close to the target when the going got tough and she becomes our 🔝 Performer from the second innings!

Scorecard 👉 bit.ly/3mzN2gf

#TATAWPL | #DCvUPW

A look at her batting summary ✅ https://t.co/M2KthHGVot

The reputed commentator also questioned Healy's decision not to bowl Devika Vaidya during the Delhi Capitals innings, stating:

"I will ask a question here again: Why didn't you get Devika Vaidya to bowl when your entire team was getting hit and you conceded 211 runs? She is your leg-spinner. This is the problem when you don't have an Indian captain and think tank, you forget the Indian names at times."

Barring Ismail, all the UP Warriorz bowlers conceded at least 10 runs per over. The usually reliable Deepti Sharma and Sophie Ecclestone conceded 40 and 41 runs respectively in their four-over spells.