Moeen Ali proves to be a thorn in India's flesh
England all-rounder Moeen Ali looks strong post a dismal winter run that forced the management to leave him out of Test squad. Ali, who has been a regular in the shorter formats, missed out on Test action for quite sometime, before making a comeback in the fourth Test against India at Southampton. And he, once again, showed his authority over Men in Blue.
Moeen brought the stability back in England
Moeen was absent from the team this summer but came back to the side and offered solidity at number 7. England were reeling at 86/6 and were in for a low first innings total. But in came Ali, who shared a 81-run stand with Sam Curran to defy India. His knock of 40 eased the England ship.
Then a familiar tale of 2014 followed with the ball
Ali was the stand-out performer for England in the 2014 Test series against India at home. The hosts had won the 5-match series 3-1 and it was Ali's 19 wickets that orchestrated the English victory. It was at Southampton where he had picked 8 wickets back then with a magical spell of 6/67 helping England overcome Indian batsmen.
4 years later, Moeen is at it again!
It didn't take Ali time to get his magic going at Southampton. This time he wiped out the lower half of the Indian XI with finesse and style. The memories of 2014 came back to haunt Kohli-led India. The moment Ajinkya Rahane departed with the score reading 161/4, Moeen came in and picked 5 wickets. India were soon struggling at 195/8.
5th five-wicket haul for Moeen!
'It was a bad winter but I shrugged it off'
Ali stated that although he had a dismal winter, he knew that he wasn't a bad player. As per a report in the ICC, Ali said, "It is about believing you are not a bad player after one bad winter. Yes, it was a bad winter but I shrugged it off." He also opined that number 7 is his best spot for batting.
