By Oliver Brett

You're not going to every day walk out and feel a million dollars Matt Prior

England wicket-keeper Matt Prior has admitted his torrid time during the recent Oval Test has been the hardest week in his career so far.

Prior dropped two catches and scored a duck against India in a draw which saw the tourists seal a 1-0 series win.

He told BBC Sport: "This week has been the hardest week in my cricketing life, without a shadow of a doubt.

"My performance has been criticised but I am still learning. Mistakes do happen - we're all human."

Interview: Matt Prior

In his BBC Sport column, Prior continued: "I am still new to Test cricket but there are always things you can work on, improve on in your game.

"I am my own biggest critic and I'll work very hard with [England coaches] Peter Moores and Andy Flower and any other people I can to make sure I do make improvements.

"But I don't feel I have to suddenly criticise or scrutinise myself massively."

606: DEBATE Prior still gets the gloves for the winter for me, massive winter for him though englandforever

Prior made his Test debut in the first Test of the summer at Lord's, when he became the first England wicket-keeper to score a century on debut.

He was a major factor in the 3-0 series win over West Indies, but struggled against India in the series lost on Monday - the first England had conceded on home soil since 2001.

Against India, he scored 73 in six innings, with a best of 42.

But it was his drop of Sachin Tendulkar on 20 at The Oval - the Indian master batsman went on to make 82 - that was seized upon by critics.

The following day, Prior attempted to get a glove to a catch flying towards first slip, but just diverted it away from Andrew Strauss.

Up until then, though, his glovework had been sound enough - he took five catches in an innings against India at Trent Bridge.

He was pleased by the team role he played in India's second innings and in helping England bat out for a draw.

That innings of 12 not off 60-odd balls at the end of the match wasn't my most fluent or pretty, but it was a battle Matt Prior

"I want to have that feeling of getting a hundred again, to take five catches again but then I get a nought and drop a high-profile player like Tendulkar," he admitted.

"You're not going to every day walk out and feel a million dollars.

"But I came off the pitch really happy on day four with the way I was as a person and as a team-mate.

"I was still giving plenty of energy to my team-mates and to the bowlers.

"I had to prove to myself that when you have your rough times, all you can do is get your head down and fight hard.

"That innings of 12 not off 60-odd balls at the end of the match wasn't my most fluent or pretty, but it was a battle.

"I'll take a lot from the fact that I did get through it."

England coach Peter Moores, as close as anyone within cricket to Prior from their days together at Sussex, was quick to show his support for the 25-year-old.

Moores said: "He will have started the Test match excited about the challenge and then had a bad innings and that was really tough.

If he gets through Sri Lanka well then he can start to become one of those nuggety Test match cricketers that everybody wants Peter Moores

"But in the second innings, he started to be a bit more of the character he is and I thought he kept well and lifted the team.

"He showed real fight and resilience and then for him to be there at the end of the match was a real feather in his cap.

"It's a tough place to play your cricket if you make mistakes. The key is whether he bounces back and goes forward.

"He can look back on the summer and say he has a Test match average close to 40 and he's kept pretty well.

"He's made some mistakes but he's learning and he's getting better at this environment. The challenge is whether he becomes mentally stronger from this game.