Moeen has averaged 28.88 at bat and 36.24 at ball in 61 Tests since his debut in 2014.
The jack-of-all-trades Moeen Ali decided to skip the last two tests of the English tour in India.
He produced figures of 8 to 226 in the 317-point defeat in the second test in Chennai, his first test since August 2019.
In January, the 33-year-old contracted the coronavirus during a trip in Sri Lanka and spent 14 days in isolation.
Moen decided to go home. It was time for him to come out of his bubble, Captain Joe Root said.
This tour was really hard for him, dealing with Covid and being in his room for so long.
We said in the beginning that if the players feel like they need to get out of the bubble, that’s an option, and it’s important that we deal with that.
England have introduced a rotation policy to manage players’ workloads during a busy year, with 17 Test matches and a World Cup in 2020.
They also watch over the welfare of the actors who have spent so much time in the biosecurity bubbles since the coronavirus epidemic.
Moeen was recalled for the second Test at the expense of outfielder Dom Bess, one of four changes in the team that won by 227 runs in Chennai last week.
England top scorer James Anderson was rested, striker Jos Buttler returned home after the first test and speed player Jofra Archer was absent with an elbow injury.
Archer and Ben Stokes played both Tests in Sri Lanka, while Johnny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood missed the first two Tests in India.
He wants to be home with his family
Moeen took a break from Test cricket in 2019 and struggled to get his place back before being recalled for a 2-0 series win in Sri Lanka.
In the second Test against India, he scored 4-128 and 4-98. His score of 49 runs – including 43 off 18 balls, as confirmed by England’s defeat on Matchday 4 – was higher than that of any other English player.
It’s not like we asked Moen to stay. That’s the decision he made, Ruth said.
We want as many actors as possible to be available, but we also want them to feel comfortable here.
He feels that he wants to be home with his family, and we fully respect that.
As England rotate players for the Tests, Eoin Morgan’s team is set for the five-match Twenty20 series in India, which begins on 12. March begins, full of beans in preparation for the T20 World Cup in October.
Moen is part of that team and will also be present at this week’s Indian Premier League auction, which runs from April to June.
Michael Vaughan, England’s captain in 51 of the 82 tests, told the Test Match Special podcast : This year is all about winning the Ashes. I know there is a T20 Cricket World Cup, but it is important for English cricket to get this Ashes back.
Of course, the test team prefers the T20 team. They must put all the balls in the basket to ensure they are a team that has played a lot of cricket together when they arrive in Australia.
The third round of four England Test matches in India will be played on the 24th. February began in Ahmedabad.
Analysis
Jonathan Agnew, cricket correspondent.
Moen wasn’t enjoying himself. But he came back to the side and scored a few runs, hit the ball well at the end and took a couple of wickets. Now he’s going home.
Joe Root and management made it clear at the beginning of the tour that any player who wanted to go home would go home. That was always part of the deal. So they can’t turn to Moen and tell him you’re not going home.
It’s just a very complicated situation. Moen was locked in a room in Sri Lanka for about 10 days after he tested positive, so he clearly had a hard time. It will be a difficult decision for him.
