The England all-rounder’s appraisal of his Ashes and New Zealand tour reveals something of an identity crisis but he is relishing the IPL

When Moeen Ali was taken aside by Joe Root in Christchurch last month and told he would sit out the final instalment of England’s troubled Test winter, the overriding emotion that followed was not one of frustration.

Having never before been dropped during a 50-cap run in the side – one that was interrupted only once by injury – Moeen actually thanked Root for his honesty and sticking by him for so long. But by his own admission, this hook from the stage should have come sooner.

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“When I didn’t play the last Test in New Zealand it was a relief,” says Moeen at the Taj hotel in Mumbai during what is a hectic Indian Premier League schedule with his new team, Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“I could have been dropped three Tests earlier – I probably should have been – but Joe said he sees me as a match-winner and, with 50 matches of experience, they wanted to give me a longer run. It was almost like: ‘Right, now I can actually work on my game and mentally have a break from the pressure of playing.’ When it’s my time again, I will be ready.”

But how did it come to this? Only last year Moeen was the toast of the England team, with the beaming smile that sits above a luxuriant beard dominating the sports pages during a man-of-the-series performance against South Africa. His 252 runs and 25 wickets – the latter including a hat-trick at The Oval – was an English record for an all-rounder over four Tests.

The Ashes, however, was a different story. Injured in the buildup, Moeen went on to average 19 with the bat and 115 with the ball over the course of the 4-0 defeat. His own appraisal reveals something of an identity crisis for a player whose selfless, team-first approach had seen his role forever in flux.

“I have been up and down the batting order and it’s difficult. People don’t always realise that. If you look at my last 18 months, I went to from batting four and five in India – scoring two hundreds – then to No 7 as second spinner at home before dropping to No 8. When we got to Australia I was down to bat six, then went to seven when the series started. You don’t really know your role.

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“You do your best but I think I’m going to try and get back in as a batsman first, spinner second. The problem is, because I have played more than others – say if Jack Leach is in the same team, or Liam Dawson or Adil Rashid before – I’ll still get seen as the senior spinner because I’m more experienced.”

Has he been too nice for his own good? “I have been told in the past that’s my downfall but I’d rather be too nice to be honest. I set out in cricket to make friends. I’d rather people say they enjoyed playing with him and he’s a good guy, not he’s a good player but a bit of a so and so.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Moeen Ali has struggled for England’s Test side since his man-of-the-series performance against South Africa last year. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Guardian

Moeen has always viewed himself as a batsman first and only Root, 11, and Alastair Cook, seven, can boast more than his five Test centuries since his debut in 2014. However the 30-year-old talks of his game “missing something” – perhaps a ruthlessness – and he cannot yet put his finger on it.

Gary Kirsten, the former South African left-hander who heads up the RCB batsmen, is being tapped up for insight but whatever follows, we all hope it does not come at the expense of those buttery drives.

The above could paint Moeen as a cricketer licking his wounds but it could not be further from the truth. Just as he did not get carried away last year, he is not down now either. He is loving his time in the IPL even if a lack of game time hampers his Test ambitions in the short-term.

If you asked me to play in the IPL for free, I would have done ... especially with the players at RCB like Kohli, De Villiers, McCullum and De Kock

“If you asked me to play in the IPL for free, I would have done,” says Moeen, whose auction price of £187,000 was around a seventh of that of Ben Stokes. “I literally would have come for the experience, especially with the players at RCB like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Brendon McCullum and Quinton de Kock.

“And I’m wanting to train all of the time. Even today we’re not down to but I have asked to do some extra time. Sometimes in the same environment, you maybe lose a bit of that. So I think the IPL has come at a great time, getting different ideas from new voices.”

Such as? “For example I have never worked on power-hitting. I’ve just always batted and when days have gone my way, it’s been nice. But with Trent Woodhill, one of the coaches, I’m learning different ways to hit the ball.

“In Twenty20 it’s not always about straight drives and high elbows. It’s amazing how far you can hit the ball. I’ve always been able to hit the ball far but not consistently like I have in practice over here. I’m enjoying it so much.”

With that Moeen heads off to his extra training session. Doubtless Worcestershire, two defeats from two upon their return to Division One this year, could do with his services and when it is put to him that this first-class absence means the Pakistan Test series at the end of May will likely come too soon, he replies: “It will be tough. But I know my time will come again.”