Navjot Singh Sidhu chastised the Indian team management for fielding Akash Deep in the fifth and final Test at The Oval in London, despite the Bengal seamer’s lack of fitness. Deep suffered a groin strain during the third Test at Lord’s and missed the following match at Old Trafford.
Deep scored 1/80 in the first innings of the sixth Test. In the second innings, he took one wicket and allowed 85 runs in 20 overs. The 28-year-old did well with the bat, hitting his first international half-century in the second innings. However, he has struggled to find his rhythm with the ball in hand.
“On the English commentary, it was clearly heard that the question was whether he (Akash Deep) took an injection or not. You are playing a bowler in a Test match after giving him an injection, while a fit left-arm pacer like Arshdeep is sitting on the bench. Why didn’t you play him? Going in with a half-fit bowler is a crime. It is a cardinal, heinous error. Because your other two bowlers, who are meant to be racehorses, end up becoming workhorses,” Sidhu said in a video uploaded on his official YouTube channel.
Sidhu pointed out that Deep wasn’t at his optimal physical condition as he bowled a few ill-directed deliveries and couldn’t move as well as he would have liked, especially with how awkwardly he was bending to stop the balls.
“Look, the most disappointing thing is that you keep compromising on your bowling again and again. Akash Deep, I would say, was a great success story. He won you a match, then got injured. And now you have played a half-fit Akash Deep. Today, it was completely exposed. The ball is going a foot wide on the left side. He is not able to bend. He cannot get down. He is trying to play football, and even that he cannot manage. He is clearly in discomfort.”
You will end up breaking Siraj too: Navjot Singh Sidhu
Sidhu warned that playing half-fit bowlers would put Mohammed Siraj at risk of getting injured, as he would have to shoulder more responsibility and work harder.
“You will end up breaking Siraj too. He will also break down. Because you only have three bowlers. Look at England. They played four fast bowlers. One got injured, and they still had three. Now you have just three, and not even a proper three. It is not even two and a half now,” the former India batter said.
Sidhu refrained from criticising Deep and instead, empathised with the Dehri-born, mentioning how he has been struggling with injuries since the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL).
“And to be fair, it is not Akash Deep’s fault. If he is injured, then he is injured. He was injured during the IPL, came back, and now he is as fragile as a touch-me-not plant. I think there have been around 13 changes. Bowlers keep coming and going,” he added.
The final day of the Test match is intriguingly poised as India need four wickets with only 35 runs left. Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton will resume batting on Day 5 and look to take England to a hard-fought series win.
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