Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik voiced his disappointment after India’s bowlers, especially Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, struggled on Day 4 of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval. Karthik didn’t hold back in his assessment, pointing out lapses in both bowling and fielding that let England take the upper hand.

Jasprit Bumrah was rested while Shardul Thakur was benched for the match, and the team was relying on the pace trio of Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna for the match. Despite this, Akash failed to deliver when it mattered the most, ending Day 4 with unconvincing figures of 1 for 85 from 20 overs.

Akash returned to the playing XI after missing the fourth Test due to injury. His lack of rhythm and pace meant India couldn’t build pressure from his end. He also took a blow on the shin during the innings and looked visibly uncomfortable throughout the day. At one point, skipper Shubman Gill was even overheard asking whether he had taken an injection, hinting that the pacer may not have fully recovered.

Oval Test, Day 4 Highlights | Full Scorecard

Karthik, while talking on Cricbuzz, was critical of Akash Deep’s performance, saying that the pacer tapered off after his Edgbaston heroics, where he took a match-winning ten-wicket haul.

“For a start, I think Akash Deep could have bowled much better. I don’t think he really bowled as well as his talents suggests, because what he showed in Edgbaston was high quality. But then he kind of tapered off, I don’t know why. He bowled a lot down the leg, I’m not sure why he hasn’t had a good couple of games,” he said.

The former cricketer also had strong words for Mohammed Siraj, who dropped a crucial catch of Harry Brook during a key moment of England’s innings. Brook was on 19 when Siraj stepped on the boundary rope while trying to take the catch. Brook went on to hammer a 98-ball 111, shifting the match decisively in England’s favour.

“Siraj and Prasidh bowled their hearts out, no doubt about it. A very seminal moment in this game came when Siraj dropped that catch. He had just walked into the ground before the start of that over, the masseuse was standing behind him, Arshdeep was just in his corner, maybe he was just chilling, was not expecting anything of that sort to come to him. After that, you can almost see that the Indian team deflated a little,” Karthik said.

Teammates had even started celebrating the catch, with KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna visibly excited. But once it was confirmed Siraj had stepped on the rope, the mood on the field dropped.

“He did not judge the ball well enough, when you are running behind for a catch, the most important aspect is that you need to quickly get under the ball, and then have a wide base to keep your head still. What Siraj was doing is that he had a bit of a shorter step, so he was moving away as he took the catch, which tells you he did not judge the ball well enough.” Karthik said.

The final day at The Oval is set to be a tense one, and India will be hoping Siraj and Akash can step up with the ball early.

– Ends

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