"There will be bad days, but there were not many good days anyways" - Moeen Ali backs England's aggressive Test approach
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has backed the team’s newly-adopted aggressive approach in Test cricket under the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum regime. Admitting that the philosophy might backfire at times, the 35-year-old pointed out that England were playing atrocious cricket in Tests before that.
Under former skipper Joe Root, England endured a horror run of only one win in 17 Tests. In Stokes' maiden assignment as Test captain, though, the Englishmen whitewashed New Zealand 3-0 at home.
England’s positive approach was clearly visible across the three Test matches against the Kiwis. Sharing his views about the team’s aggressive philosophy, Moeen told Sports Today in an interview:
“The way we were playing, it was quite embarrassing at times. We were playing terribly. With this brand of cricket, I know it’s a bit extreme at the minute, but it's just more to give guys the confidence to go out and express themselves.”
He added:
“I know someone while Ben Stokes was caught at mid-off in the first innings of the last Test. But I think he is showing the team that it’s okay to get out playing shots. England do need a bit of that. There will be bad days, but there were not many good days anyways.”
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While Stokes will lead England in the rescheduled Test against India in Birmingham, Team India are unsure about Rohit Sharma’s availability as he is in isolation after having tested COVID positive. Backing Virat Kohli to lead India in case of Rohit’s absence, Moeen opined:
“Because Virat was captain of the series last year, I would probably give it to him just for this one game. It’s obviously his call. He probably won’t want to do it. He’s happy and relaxed. But it’s a good idea. He’s got experience and it is a big series for India.”
Under Kohli, India were 2-1 up in the four-match series in England last year when the last game at Old Trafford in Manchester was canceled due to COVID-19.
“I would go with three seamers, two spinners” - Moeen on India’s playing XI for rescheduled Test
Apart from captaincy, another big debate around the Indian team is about the playing XI for the rescheduled Test. According to Moeen, the visitors must play both their spinners as there will be enough assistance at Edgbaston. He stated:
“If I was India, I would go with three seamers, two spinners. Shami, Bumrah, Siraj and obviously the two spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin because of the conditions more than anything else. It might not spin so much in the first innings, but will definitely take spin later on.”
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During their previous visit to England, Jadeja was preferred as the main spinner, with Ashwin sitting out all four Tests.