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Indian bowling great Ravichandran Ashwin was serenaded by a guard of honour ahead of his 100th Test at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala. Playing against England, Ashwin was crucial in India's unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series as the hosts clinched three straight games after losing the opening game.
Alongside picking up wickets at regular intervals, the 37-year-old also broke Anil Kumble's record by becoming the fastest Indian bowler to reach 500 Test wickets in this series. Hence celebrating his glittering career, Team India presented Ashwin with a special memento in the form of a 100th Test cap from India coach Rahul Dravid in front of the team and his family.
Team India gives R Ashwin guard of honour on 100th Test
Ashwin also presented Devdutt Paddikkal with his debut cap as he replaced the injured Rajat Patidar in the playing XI. Then as the players got ready to get on the field for the start of play, Ravichandran Ashwin received a guard of honour, where he hugged the Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Check out the video here:
Ravichandran Ashwin becomes 14th Indian to play 100 Test matches
With this Test in Dharamsala, Ashwin has joined the prestigious list of Indians who have played 100 Tests or more. The list includes Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and Cheteshwar Pujara. Ashwin made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2011 and has been a vital cog of the Indian bowling attack ever since. Ashwin has taken 507 wickets in 99 Tests at a strike rate of 53.9 and an average of 26.5.
