Ravi Ashwin at 100 Tests: Spin maestro recalls best spells, no fifer included despite having 35 of them

Ravichandran Ashwin is at the brink of donning his a centesimal Test cap as he’s set to characteristic within the India vs England fifth Test in Dharamsala. The Indian spin maestro will grow to be the 14th Indian to characteristic in 100 or plus Test matches ever for the reason that Men in Blue performed their first Test in 1932. 

Ashwin is hailed as one of the best spinners of all time. His information converse volumes for that. The 37-year-old is the second-ever Indian with over 500 Test wickets. He has received probably the most Player of the Series awards for India – 10. Ashwin additionally has 35 Test fifers, joint most by an Indian. 

However as he’s set to take the sector in his milestone recreation, Ashwin has recalled his best spells, which didn’t embrace any of the 35 fifers that he has taken within the format. Instead, he named three spells wherein he didn’t decide a five-for. 

All the three dates again to 2017 and 2018. The first was within the 2017 (*35*) Test towards Australia. India already had misplaced the primary Test and had been bowled out for 189 within the first innings of the second Test. Ashwin picked his first innings spell of 49-13-84-2 as one of his best spells despite choosing a six-for within the second innings. 

The different two adopted the subsequent yr – one in Centurion and the opposite in Edgbaston later in 2018. He picked  3 for 59 within the Edgbaston Test and 4/133 in Centurion. 

“When you finish, it is Test wins that stand really tall. But having given it a lot of thought, one of the finest spells I have bowled has to be the one in Birmingham in 2018. I got three wickets on the morning of day three. I got Cook, Root, and Jennings. I got seven wickets in the game. I felt like I had almost bowled India to victory in the game, but it didn’t happen. That has to be one of the finest spells I have bowled,” he mentioned upon being requested about his best spells. 

“A Test in Bangalore where I bowled a spell on day two morning not for many rewards. And day one at Centurion in 2018 again against South Africa. I got a four-for. It could have been six or seven but it didn’t happen. That was a good spell. Those are three spells that will stand out. There are several five-fors and wins that have happened over the years, but these are the spells I will remember for how [the ball] came out of the hand, what it meant personally, ” he added.

Ashwin gears up for the fifth Test as India head into the competition with an unassailable lead of 3-1. A 4-1 can be a dream finish for Ashwin and India