Tourists’ coach slams sloppy batting

resistance. ‘It’s about believing that you’re not a bad player after one bad winter,’ said Moeen, referring to his disastrous Ashes series. ‘Many players have gone through that. Australia’s always a difficult place for foreign spinners. ‘For me, mentally, it was about getting over that and coming back knowing that I’ve played India in England before and I’ve done well. I really enjoyed going back to county cricket at Worcester and having a bit of a break. It was nice to get a call-up when I was in decent nick with bat and ball.’ Moeen now has five-fors in both his Southampton Tests against India. He drew on his experience here four years ago, when he finished with eight wickets in the match. ‘Last time I was here gave me a bit of confidence for today,’ he said. ‘It brings back memories and it’s nice to have that at the back of your mind. It was great to be back and have so many people cheer for you.’ Meanwhile, Indian assistant coach Sanjay Bangar was especially critical of two of Moeen’s victims after a posttea flurry of wickets left the tourists 195 for eight. ‘A couple of the dismissals were pretty soft,’ said Bangar. ‘Hardik Pandya wasn’t on top of the ball when he played his shot and Ashwin attempted that reverse sweep at a pretty early stage of his innings. Had he been batting with the tail, you might have thought that shot was on.’