IND vs ENG : Moeen Ali returns home as England bring Wood, Bairstow for last two Tests against India
Joe Root has confirmed that Moeen Ali, who had a remarkable Test match, will go back home before joining the squad in Ahmedabad for the T20I series.
England had announced the squad for the first two Tests and Moeen Ali missed on the first one as the side picked Dom Bess and Jack Leach for the game. However, in the second game, he made a solid comeback, picking eight wickets in the game apart from playing an 18-ball 43-run cameo in the second innings.
However, given the long list of assignments that are awaiting him, Ali has chosen the option to go back home, having been away from his family for a long time.
“Moeen’s chosen to go home. Obviously, it’s been a very tricky tour for him, and as mentioned at the start [of the tour], if players feel they need to get out of the bubble, then that’s been an option and it’s important that we stand by that,” Root confirmed at the end of the Test.
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“From the squad, Moeen is the only one going home. It wasn’t about asking him if he wanted to stay, it was a decision that he chose.
“Of course we want as many players to stay available as long as possible, but we also want them to be comfortable here. He wants to be at home with his family and we respect and understand that.
“It’s been a very difficult tour for him, having to deal with Covid and being in his room for such long periods of time. You come to a point where you want to get out of the bubble and that’s absolutely fair. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision for him, but it’s one that we respect.”
Wood, Bairstow returns to fill Moeen void
Mark Wood and Jonny Bairstow have returned to the line-up as well, and they will serve their mandatory six-day quarantine in Ahmedabad before joining the team bubble. Both Bairstow and Wood were a part of the series against Sri Lanka and were rested for the first two Tests against India as a part of England’s rest and rotate policy.