Follow UsFormer Australian captain Ricky Ponting tore apart Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj after his drop cost India the most important catch at The Oval, on August 3 (Sunday). Fielding at the deep fine leg boundary, the Indian pacer misjudged the catch, stepping on the boundary cushion with the ball.
It gave Harry Brook a reprieve, and the Yorkshire batter punished India, smashing a stroke-filled half-century, putting them on the backfoot. Siraj’s efforts didn’t go down well with Ponting, who slammed the pacer for his fielding blunder.
"What was he thinking? He wasn't thinking at all. He didn't have to move to take the catch, so how costly might that be? Brook is still in and reads the bowlers so well. He bats in a Test match, how you would try and read a bowler in a T20," Ponting said on Sky Sports.
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri hailed this ongoing Test as one of the best, with a well-contested affair between the bat and the ball at The Oval.
"That session was Test cricket at its best. It was a watchful first hour - good bowling and plenty of chat out there, fielders getting in the face of the batters," Shastri commented.
Shastri hailed Brook’s impetus to England’s run chase, comparing him to India’s attacking wicketkeeper batter, Rishabh Pant.
"India picked up a couple of wickets - but then came the counterattack. In a seesaw battle, England took the momentum. Harry Brook did a Rishabh Pant. I liked his anticipation. It was clear that he wanted to score runs and be disruptive," Shastri added.