England Test captain Joe Root has apologized to all-rounder Moeen Ali for a remark he made during the post-match press conference following England's defeat against India in the second Test that happened in Chennai's Chepauk stadium.

It was revealed when the squad for England's third and fourth Tests was announced that Moeen Ali was not part of the team as he had decided to head back home as per England Cricket Board's rotation policy. As a result of the policy, Jos Buttler went back home after the first Test match while Jonny Bairstow skipped the first two Tests. Joe Root stated during the virtual press conference, "Moeen has chosen to go home. It's obviously been a very tricky tour for him. As mentioned at the start, if players feel like they need to get out of the bubble, then that's been an option. It is really important that we stand by that. With Moeen it wasn't more asking if he wanted to stay, it was a decision he had chosen."

"Of course we wanted as many players available for as long as possible, but you also want them to be very comfortable here," he added. Following Root's remark, Moeen Ali was criticized for leaving the team during a crucial period. After realizing that his comments had been interpreted by the public the wrong way, the skipper went up to Moeen Ali at the team hotel and apologized to him privately, as per reports.