By Alistair Watkins BBC Sport at The Oval

Dropping two catches at The Oval dented Prior's record

Matt Prior will have to take his share of the blame for what seems certain to be England's first home series defeat since 2001.

The England wicket-keeper, criticised for his role in the jellygate row which inspired India to victory at Trent Bridge, is under fierce pressure to keep his place after dropping star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman at The Oval.

Both were diving catches, but both should have been taken - and the second perhaps should have been left to Andrew Strauss at first slip anyway.

And who knows what might have transpired if England's bowlers could have got at India's tail earlier before the sweltering weather took its toll?

Instead, Prior's mistakes - he also conceded 33 byes to equal the highest tally in Test history by a specialist gloveman - have re-opened the debate about who is England's best wicket-keeper/batsman.

And once again put he is in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

CRICKET on 606 Prior has dropped a few and hasn't scored much, but is still the same player this forum was giving rave reviews over after his debut bensonj01 Have your say

But while the Sussex man's future is uncertain, that of his opposite number Mahendra Dhoni is much clearer.

Dhoni, the fashion-conscious 26-year-old with collar-length hair, is fast overtaking Sachin Tendulkar as India's biggest star.

Friday was supposed to be all about the "Little Master" and his attempt to score a century in probably his final Test in England.

But when he fell for a gritty but hardly memorable 82 off 192 balls, it was the charismatic Dhoni, named Twenty20 captain earlier this week, who took centre stage.

Dhoni is not the greatest gloveman, but he's had a great series

He cruised serenely to his half-century and then launched a mesmerising all-out attack which took the match decisively away from England.

Fleet of foot and with powerful arms, he hit Monty Panesar for six.

Then he cut the next ball with lots of right hand and a vibrant follow-through for two before smacking a straight, flat six off he next into the third row of the pavilion.

An adventurous hook played with both feet off the ground to a Chris Tremlett bouncer went high into the air but fell to safety but two sumptuous cover-drives showed his class.

England captain Michael Vaughan took a brave decision and brought on Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood to try to tempt Dhoni into one big shot too many.

Like the best showmen, he was game for the challenge and duly smacked Pietersen for two brutal sixes in a row to move to 92.

But then, perhaps keen to bring up his 100 with four successive sixes, he attempted a hat-trick of maximums, didn't quite middle the shot and was caught in the deep to end a thoroughly entertaining innings.