Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra recalled how he was wrongly adjudged LBW by former umpire Steve Bucknor on the tour of Pakistan in 2004. Chopra said the poor decision from the West Indies umpire came at a bad time for him as his place in the final XI was hanging by a thin thread.

The Delhi cricketer got an inside edge onto his pads while facing Shoaib Akhtar, but Bucknor ruled him out. There was no DRS back then, and Chopra had no option but to return to the dressing room.

Aakash Chopra said on YouTube Channel Khaane Mein Kya Hai, “The man actually took pleasure in telling me that he gave me out. It was the second Test match in Lahore; I got an inside edge off Shoaib’s ball. My place is hanging in the balance because Saurav was coming back; he had already said Yuvraj Singh is going to open, but my second inning is not done yet, so I can still score runs and save my place.

“I got an inside edge, and the ball hit the pad. He gave it out. I was distraught. There was no DRS back then. It was a very important knock as I was 100 percent going to get dropped in Rawalpindi if I didn’t score.

Chopra revealed that Steve Bucknor even mentioned the decision to a hotel receptionist on the next day of the Test match.

“Then he (Steve Bucknor) met me at the reception of the hotel. He is standing next to me and telling the receptionist, ‘I gave him out.’ Why are you so proud of that? There was an inside edge. Now what is this? He was crazy.”

The renowned commentator also recalled the 2008 Sydney Test match against Australia when Bucknor made tons of howlers and most of his decisions went against India.

“He (Steve Bucknor) was against India. There was a Test match in Sydney where we actually said, ‘Let’s send a pillow to his room,’ because he was sleeping. We should have won that Test match. He didn’t give out when Justin Langer was hit on the pad in front of the middle. Just take the pillow if you want to sleep.”

Bucknow officiated in 309 International matches and retired in 2009.