Ravichandran Ashwin is set to play his 100th test match when India takes on England in the fifth and final test, starting Thursday, March 7, at the HPCA Stadium.
Ashwin's childhood coach, Sunil Subramaniam, reflected on his journey, saying, "It's a great moment for any bowler in fact. He will be the 14th Indian cricketer and 5th bowler from India to get 200 test matches, which is definitely a phenomenal feat. It's been a roller coaster journey. It started in 2007, when he was around 20 and we were looking at the next generation of spin bowlers for Tamil Nadu... It feels extremely great. I did not even think that the journey would go this far.."
"One thing I always said to him, love your bowling, graph it and he (Ravichandran Ashwin) always has the mind for it. He was good at both bowling and batting, but bowling was something I thought he would fit into," he added.
Ashwin has been excelling in the ongoing series against England in the third edition of the ICC World Test Championship. Ahead of the 5th Test against England led by Ben Stokes, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma had also commendable words for Ashwin, recognizing his contribution as India's milestone man.
"(It's a) big achievement for any player to play 100 Tests. It is a big milestone. He has been a match-winner for us. What he has done for us, no praise is enough. His performances over the last five-seven years, every series he has contributed. It is rare to have players like him. I want to congratulate him on his 100 Test landmark, of course, to get near it as the toss hasn't happened. It feels good to reap the rewards of your hard work," Rohit told reporters in Dharamsala.
In the realm of Test cricket, only eight bowlers have reached the remarkable feat of 500 wickets. R. Ashwin achieved this milestone by dismissing Zak Crawley during the England series, making him the second-fastest bowler to do so in Test cricket history. Since his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin has been second only to Australia's Nathan Lyon in terms of wickets taken. Notably, Ashwin holds the record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler on home soil, with 354 wickets to his name. Surpassing the legendary Anil Kumble, Ashwin attained this special achievement during the 4th Test against England.
