India vs England: One bad winter won't make me a bad player, says Moeen Ali after his five-for on Test return

After bowling out England for a mere total of 246 runs, even the Indians did not put up a great batting show, courtesy of Moeen Ali’s five-wicket haul on Day two of the ongoing fourth Test at Southampton on Friday.

India’s best batsmen were struck by the duo of Stuart Broad and Sam Curran before Ali came joined the party. The off-spinner made five breakthroughs in a span of 46 runs, dismissing Rishbah Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.

Ali, who had been out of form for a while, was dropped to include Adil Rashid despite the fact the latter had chosen not to play County Championship.

“After my first over, I thought I was going to be in the game throughout this Test. It's always nice for an off-spinner when there's a bit of rough. And I was bowling at the same end as last time. That gave me some confidence.

"It's all about mindset with me. I didn't need to change too much technically. I just needed a fresh start. It's nice to get a call-up when you're in decent nick with bat and ball. You come into the game with confidence: it's exactly what county cricket should be doing. I've loved being back at Worcester,” Ali said.

"It was about believing I'm not a bad player after one bad winter. Many players have gone through that. It was about clearing my mind and moving on.

"The role in the side now is my best role," he said. I'm mainly selected as a batter, but then I come on as a second spinner. It gives me a lot more confidence and freedom. I actually end up playing better,” Ali added.