Moeen Ali opens up over the way his exit from India Test series was handled

Moeen Ali has insisted Joe Root made an "honest mistake" when the latter indicated that the all-rounder left India midway through the Test series. However, Ali's departure was planned in advance as England decided to rotate him ahead of the white-ball leg of their tour of India.

England have adopted a rotation policy, given their busy schedule and the demands of living inside bio-bubbles. Speaking on the confusion, Moeen Ali said on Sky Sports News that the matter was sorted straightaway and he has no issues with Joe Root.

"It was pretty much sorted straight away. Rooty messaged me and rang me straight away. I know him really well, and it was an honest mistake. These things happen. For me, it was done straight away. I think some people can make it a bigger thing than it is. When you are involved, it is not that big a deal, really."

A convincing win for India as they level the series.Scorecard: https://t.co/aD49HPkxuu#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/8gKEFvWSca

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 16, 2021

Moeen Ali played the second Test, which India won by 317 runs. Ali showed his batting prowess in the second innings, smashing 43 runs off 18 balls. Although the all-rounder picked up eight wickets in the Test, he was often inconsistent with his line and length on a pitch which was assisting the spinners.

"I got that completely wrong" - Joe Root

Joe Root (L ) & Moeen Ali (R)

Recently, Joe Root owned up to his mistake and admitted that his statements regarding Moeen Ali's departure were open to interpreation.

"I made a complete mistake; it was my bad; I got that completely wrong. It wasn't a true reflection of what had happened, and it left it open to interpretation, which was unfair on Moeen," the England skipper said.

The all-rounder missed the two Tests in Sri Lanka last month after testing positive for COVID-19. The off-spinner was then ignored for the first Test against India, with England playing Dom Bess instead.

Moeen Ali will soon be back in India as he has been picked in the 16-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series, which starts from 12th March.

This should be some series! 🤩🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 11, 2021