England spinner Monty Panesar feels that Indians need to be positive against Moeen Ali

England headed into the fifth and final Test of the series leading 3-1. The scoreline may not reflect the true story of the closely fought series as there were quite a few exciting sessions over the course of the series and the margin of defeat in the first and the third Test was small. Adil Rashid, the first choice spinner for England hasn’t bowled much in the series. Moeen’s excellent form in the domestic level earned him a place in the side though he was not present in the initial squad.

Moeen’s addition has proved to be the difference for England as the all-rounder played a handy knock in the fourth Test when England were down and out and also bowled a match winning spell to provide England an unassailable lead in the series. Monty Panesar, who last played for England in 2013 feels that India need to employ a positive approach to tackle the treat of Moeen Ali. He returned with figures of 9/134 to rattle the Indian batting line-up.

Unsettle the bowler

“I think the wicket is quite dry and he seems to get a nice loop and dip on the ball. It’ll be interesting to see how the Indian batsmen in the next session look to play Moeen Ali, will they attack him or will be happy to play him out. In the previous Test match, India sat in really tight. They didn’t look to come down the wicket and put pressure on Moeen Ali. That’s what they need to do.” Panesar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Panesar also added that the batsmen needed to play attacking shots to push the fielders back and then look to rotate strike. Being over defensive can sometimes result in downfall as a wicket can suddenly increase the pressure on the batting team. Playing a few shots can disturb the mindset of the bowler and may force him to rethink his strategy.

After finishing day 1 of the fifth Test at 198/7, England’s lower order came to the rescue again as the team went on to score 332 which looked impossible before the start of the play on Day 2. This has often been the case in this series where India have failed to wipe out the lower order resulting in their downfall. It is now up to the batsmen to eliminate the deficit and give the bowlers something to play for in the second innings. India ended up at 174/6 on Day 2.

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