Moeen Ali speaks on current Indian bowling attack he faced
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has said that the current Indian bowling attack is one of the best he has ever faced. Ali scored 50 off 170 balls and put on a 73-run stand with Alastair Cook as the hosts finished with 198-7 at stumps. "I just tried to take it a ball at a time. I thought they bowled really well," he said.
Indian bowlers didn't give me a lot to hit: Ali
"The wicket was quite slow, but the ball was always doing something, so I just tried to stay as patient as I could. The Indian bowlers didn't give me a lot to hit. So I just tried to bat," said Ali yesterday.
Indian bowlers just kept bowling at the same pace: Ali
"You're always hoping to let them bowl and bowl. But they just kept coming, bowling same pace, same areas. It was one of the best bowling attacks I've faced. They were just always, consistently there," Ali said. Cook scored 71 runs off 190 balls and put on 60 runs with Keaton Jennings, England's best stand of the series so far.
Ali couldn't score hundred as India struck back after tea
Ali survived a dropped chance at 37, but couldn't capitalize to score a hundred as India struck back after tea. Ali and Cook also put on 73 runs for the second wicket, after which England lost six wickets for 65 runs in the final session.
Ali acknowledges that he missed the ball at times
"I prepared differently this week than I'd have done previously against a bit newer ball. It just gives you time to get your mind around batting at number three for England," Ali said. "I know was I dropped, I know I played and missed, but I just tried to bat. I'm always confident. Obviously, we don't want these collapses at the time," he said.
Guys were calling me Geoffrey Boycott: Ali
Ali played and missed on umpteen occasions but just didn't nick the ball, much to India's frustrations particularly Mohammed Shami. He said, "I probably wasn't good enough to nick them. When I went into tea, the guys were calling me Geoffrey Boycott, then they came in, played and missed their first ball, and I was pretty happy with that."
