ENG vs AUS: "He's Been On His Knees A Lot More Than On His Feet" - Dinesh Karthik Highlights A Technical Flaw In Jonny Bairstow's Keeping

Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik praised Australia’s Alex Carey for his brilliant glove work during the Ashes series against England. Dinesh Karthik emphasized that Carey did well behind the stumps during the World Test Championship final against India last month.

Alex Carey struggled to make an impact with the bat in the five-match Test series against England. However, Carey showcased excellent wicketkeeping skills, taking 15 catches with a success rate of over 90 percent. He dropped just two catches in the series, which cost them just 51 runs.

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Alex Carey Really Kept Wickets Well – Dinesh Karthik

In a conversation with Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports, Dinesh Karthik pointed out that England is the toughest place to keep the stumps, as the ball tends to move even after passing the stumps.

“I think he’s been really good right from the World Championship final. He really kept wickets well, and he used that confidence to move forward. England is a very hard place to stay, especially for fast bowlers. I think Alex Carey has done really well,” Karthik told Sky Sports.

The 31-year-old scored 142 runs in six innings with an average of 23.67 and a best score of 66. The left-handed batter crossed the fifty-run mark only once in the first three games.

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Jonny Bairstow Needs To Improve – Dinesh Karthik

The former Indian batter highlighted that Jonny Bairstow was picked because of his batting skills, but he didn’t fail to add more runs to his tally.

“Jonny Bairstow has been picked for his batting more than his keeping. If he scored one run less than that says a lot because he needs to improve on that one for sure. And the missed chances definitely that’s an area that England has found it hard,” he added.

Bairstow managed to score just 141 runs in six innings, with an average of 23.50. The right-handed batter started the series on a high note with a knock of 78 runs, but he failed to impress in the remaining innings.

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Keeping Is About Lateral Movement – Dinesh Karthik

The 38-year-old discussed the technical attributes of Jonny Bairstow’s wicketkeeping, emphasizing that he made a comeback after a long injury layoff.

“When you have an injury to your leg, the one thing that you cannot do much is running. So you tend to do a lot more soft skill exercises, which basically wouldn’t mean running. So when you don’t run, you don’t end up doing things laterally,” he continued.

“And keeping is about lateral movement. It’s about front on taking and lateral movement, and that’s lack plenty that’s why you’ve seen best to diving for a lot more. He’s been on his knees a lot more than on his feet, which is not a good sign for almost,” he concluded.

England are currently trailing 2-1 in the five-match Test series. The England players have dropped 17 catches, including a crucial catch of Australia opener Usman Khawaja, who went on to score a match-winning century in the series opener at Edgbaston.