A modern-day great for the Indian cricket team, Ravichandran Ashwin is on the brink of becoming one of the few players to feature in 100 Tests in international cricket. Ashwin, who is sitting on 99 matches in the whites for India, will feature in the milestone match as Rohit Sharma‘s men take on England in Dharamsala, starting March 07. Ahead of the match, Ashwin opened up on the 100 Tests milestone, highlighting how big a day it is for him and his family.
“It’s a big occasion, from the look and sound of it,” Ravichandran Ashwin said in the press conference ahead of the match. “More than the destination, journey has been special,” he added.
“100th Test matters a lot to me, but it matters more to my father, mother, wife and even my kids. My kids are more excited about the Test. Families go through a lot during a player’s journey. My father still answers 40 calls on what his son did during a game,” said Ashwin.
“It’s a big occasion, from the look and sound of it. More than destination, journey has been special,” he added.
Dharamsala will be quite different from the other 4 venues in which India have played in this Test. When asked about playing in the cold conditions in the mountain region, Ashwin said: “21 years ago I was here playing u19 cricket for two months. It is pretty cold, will take more time for fingers to adjust.”
“That’s the beauty of it, the unknown,” he added.
Ashwin reached the 500-wicket milestone in the 4th Test of the series but also had to deal with a personal emergency that prompted him to fly home midway. But, the off-spinner returned to play important role in India’s win, helping the hosts take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, with one match to go.
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