[Watch] Ravichandran Ashwin gets a guard of honor from teammates ahead of his 100th Test vs England in Dharamshala
Ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin received a guard of honor from his teammates ahead of his 100th Test on Day 1 of the fifth Test between India and England at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Thursday, March 7.
Ashwin is only the 13th Indian, and third spinner, to play 100 tests for the country. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh were the other two spinners to do so.
In a video doing the rounds on X (formerly Twitter), Team India can be seen giving the legendary off-spinner a guard of honor. Aswin was seen hugging India captain Rohit Sharma as he walked out.
Watch the video below:
On the special occasion, Ashwin was also felicitated by head coach Rahul Dravid, who represented India in 163 Tests, with a special cap. Dravid said:
“People use the word ‘great’ too easily. Greatness is consistency over time. It comes from practice, constantly making changes, sacrifice, stubbornness, evolving, growing, learning, and giving everything to a team that you have and to a craft."
Dravid continued:
"Ash, because you have faithfully done all of these things, you arrived at a truly great place, your 100th Test.”
“Real stalwart of Indian cricket” – Rohit Sharma on Ravichandran Ashwin
India captain Rohit Sharma reserved special praise for Ravichandran Ashwin on his 100th Test. He said at the toss:
“Ash has been a real stalwart of Indian cricket. Such a proud moment for him, his nation, and his family. We will be rooting for him to do the magic.”
Ashwin has taken the second most wickets for India in Tests. The off-spinner has bagged 507 wickets in 99 Tests. He will now look to replicate Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, and Anil Kumble. The trio picked up a five-wicket haul in their 100th Test.
Besides Ashwin, England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow is also playing his 100th Test.
Captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first. At the time of writing, the visitors were 67/1 after 20 overs, with Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope at the crease.
The hosts have already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match Test series.
Follow the IND vs ENG Dharamshala Test live score and updates here.