Moeen Ali elects to leave England tour of India

England all rounder Moeen Ali has taken the decision to return home following the second Test match defeat against India.

The Worcestershire captain suffered with coronavirus on the Sri Lanka tour – ruling him out of the first game and the second after being in isolation for 14 days in his hotel room.

England face a hectic year which includes 17 Test Matches as well as the T20 World Cup in India in October but is set to return for the limited overs series in the country.

Captain Joe Root spoke to BBC Sport about the situation surrounding Ali

“Moeen has chosen to go home. It’s come to a point where he wants to get out of the bubble,” said captain Joe Root.

“This tour has been really difficult for him, dealing with Covid and being in his room for such a long period of time.

“We said at the start if players feel like they need to get out of the bubble that would be an option, and it’s important we stand by that.”

The 33-year-old was recalled for the second Test in favour of Dominic Bess and top scored with a rapid 43 in England’s second innings as they slipped to a 317-run defeat to Virat Kohli’s men.

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