Rajkot: Moeen Ali admitted that England bowlers will need to be patient as India ended day two of the Test for 63/0 on Thursday after England amassed 537 runs batting first.
"I thought there was good spin for us. A bit of reverse as well. I think the slower balls spun a bit more than the rest, but the build up to that ball has to be on the money as well. Patience is something Saqi (Saqlain Mushtaq) talks about a lot, we need to be patient," said Ali.
Joe Root’s hundred on Wednesday and Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes’ tons on the second day powered the Alastair Cook-led side to a mammoth total. Ali, who was batting on 99 at the close of play on day, completed his hundred before Mohammed Shami dismissed him for 117.
After England lost three wickets in the first session day one, Root and Ali resurrected England’s innings. Ali looked fluent as he displayed solid composure and did not look too afraid playing his shots.
However, he said that he did not feel so well before he took field on day one. But then took chances and played his shots. The move clearly helped his team as they crossed the 500-run mark.
Ali, who is also one of the key spinners from the visiting side, said that he felt good contributing to the team’s cause.
"Before going in to bat, I wasn't feeling great, I was feeling a bit lethargic. I wasn't moving my feet too well yesterday, but I just played the situation," said Ali.
While Ali scored 117 runs, his dismissal was a little strange as he misjudged a Mohammed Shami delivery and left it alone only to hit the stumps.
Ali praised Shami saying, "Shami was bowling well, I thought I needed to see him through, maybe I got a bit negative, but I find him quite tough to play."
