Veteran Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, will mark his 100th Test appearance as he steps onto the field for the fifth match against England in Dharamshala, commencing on March 7. This comes on the heels of Ashwin’s remarkable achievement of joining an exclusive club of bowlers by becoming only the ninth player and the second Indian, after the illustrious Anil Kumble, to amass 500 Test wickets.
This accomplishment places him in the esteemed company of legendary bowlers such as Muthiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Kumble, Glenn McGrath, Courtney Walsh, and Nathan Lyon.
Ravichandran Ashwin set to play his 100th Test
In a pre-match conference preceding the fifth Test against England, Ashwin articulated why his 100th Test match holds significant importance for him. The season India spinner aims to become a motivation for more players to come forward and represent their nation.
“I think my going on to represent India in a hundred Tests really means something in that regard. Wouldn’t say I am a motivation for others. I might well be, but that is not what I set out to do.It is the experience of having played a hundred Tests and having experienced this wonderful country and the cricket community of this wonderful country that I can share with cricketers, and probably help more cricketers from my part of the country to come through. ” said Ashwin as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“But the one thing that has really motivated me is the fact that I am the first from my part of the country to play a hundred Tests. In Tamil Nadu, we love the game. We talk about it a lot, we play the game a lot, we completely enjoy it. There is a great system, there is some phenomenal talent.”
“When we get into the Indian team, or an IPL team, we are not always prepared for a scenario that we will get only one or two chances to prove ourselves. That is the pressure I have played with for long durations in my career.” Ashwin concluded.
India currently holds a commanding 3-1 lead in the five-match Test series against England. Their victories in Vizag, Rajkot, and Ranchi have propelled them to this advantageous position, bouncing back from their defeat in Hyderabad. As they prepare to take the field in Dharamsala on March 7, India aims to conclude the series on a triumphant note.
