London: He has been one of England's finds in the ongoing Test series against India and off-spinner Moeen Ali feels that visiting team's batsmen took him lightly which ensured a bagful of wickets for him.
Moeen currently has 19 wickets at a stellar average of 22.94 with two brilliant spells at the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford as England have gone 2-1 up in the series.
"They (Indian batsmen) felt I was an easy target, a guy they could get easy runs from, which has helped me quite a bit," 27-year-old Moeen was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.
"If they attack me, now I'm bowling well, I've got a chance. But they're very good players of spin. I don't know how I'm getting these wickets but I'm happy to! I feel like I'm on top and I feel I can get players out," an ecstatic Moeen said.
The bearded all-rounder said that even though he would like to have a lethal weapon like doosra in his armoury, he is happy with what he has at the moment.
"Yeah, I don't need it at the moment. The way I'm bowling at the moment, attacking both sides of the bat because some of them are going straight on, means I don't really need it. I'd still like to have it in my repertoire but it needs a lot more work," he said.
"I don't want to get carried away. But I do feel that I've taken a big step towards being a decent Test spinner. I feel like I have more control, and that my captain and team-mates can trust me," he did a critical assessment of his performance so far.
Interestingly, it is ICC's Elite Panel umpire and former Sri Lankan offie Kumar Dharmasena, whose tips have helped him greatly while troubling the Indian batsmen.
