'He apologised afterwards': When Moeen Ali ridiculed ex-India batter by posting career stats on social media

When Moeen Ali ridiculed ex-India batter by posting career stats on social media (AFP Photo)

Aakash Chopra has disclosed that Moeen Ali once publicly harassed him for criticising the all-rounder's technique during the 2016 India-England Test series. Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel, the former India opener described how after the Chennai Test an analysis prompted an unexpected internet jab from Moeen. As an analyst for ESPNCricinfo during the series, Chopra revealed what he saw was a persistent flaw in Moeen's batting.

"I said something about Moeen Ali's problems against the short ball. I felt that the short ball should be used against him because he doesn't have the defensive game for it, and you can create a trap by putting two fielders back. So, we made a demo showing why he can't play the short ball," he said.

Nevertheless, Moeen's century in the Test in Chennai coincided with the analysis. Soon after in an attempt to ridicule, the England cricketer shared a post highlighting Chopra's career statistics on social media.

"A fellow cricketer trolled me. If the fans are trolling you, you get used to it," Chopra said. "He posted my stats. He was obviously upset. As he was a fellow cricketer, I replied to him that at least you don't have a problem with my analysis. You have a problem with my stats, I agree, but you didn't find a fault in my analysis because that's my job now."

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Chopra revealed that India carried out the short-ball strategy he had noted the following morning. Moeen struck one boundary before falling to the trap as Ishant Sharma bowled bouncers with three guys positioned in the deep.

Chopra acknowledged, "I felt validated," but emphasised that he never approached Moeen about it.

The England cricketer then made an unexpected gesture. "He apologised afterwards. He said, 'Sorry. I shouldn't have reacted. What I said was wrong,'" Chopra revealed.