Ahead of the legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s 100th Test match, Team India captain Rohit Sharma looked back on his longstanding relationship with the man. Rohit Sharma went down memory lane and remembered that Ashwin used to bowl and be a batter during their U-17 days.
On Thursday, March 7, India plays England in the fifth and final Test match of the series at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. This will be Ashwin’s historic 100th Test match. Prior to this, in the Rajkot Test, Ashwin accomplished another significant milestone when he passed Anil Kumble as the only Indian bowler to win 500 Test wickets. The off-spinner dismissed England’s first batsman, Zak Crawley, to reach the milestone.
It’s all gone upside-down, but it’s gone well for Indian cricket- Rohit Sharma
In the pre-game news conference, Rohit Sharma joked that the toss hadn’t happened yet while congratulating Ashwin on reaching “nearly 100 Tests.”
“I’d like to congratulate him first of all, for getting close to this 100-Test landmark – the toss hasn’t happened yet, so (laughs),” Rohit said in his much-admired cheeky tone,”
On a serious note, he talked about how their careers have taken vastly different paths since their U-17 days.
“It feels good if you get to see the fruits of all the labor you put in. I’ve been watching him for so many years. We played together in the Under-19s – we played in the Under-17s too – and he used to be a batter then, an opener, and he started bowling later. I used to bowl then, but I became a batsman, so it’s all gone upside-down, but it’s gone well for Indian cricket,” Rohit added.
You don’t need to think too much if you have such a player- Rohit Sharma heaps praise on Ravichandran Ashwin
Rohit Sharma complimented the experienced off-spinner and said that one of Ashwin‘s greatest strengths is his deep knowledge of the game. Rohit Sharma also praised the experienced cricket player for all of the years’ worth of behind-the-scenes dedication.
“I’ve been watching him for such a long time, how he’s evolved as a cricketer. He has so much understanding of his game, and you don’t need to think too much if you have such a player in your team. If you put the ball in his hand, he runs the game himself – how to get the batter out, what field to set,” Rohit Sharma explained.
“And apart from what we get to see on the ground, there’s a huge reason behind it, which is the work he does off the field on his bowling. I’ve seen him so many times, bowling to one stump. For half an hour or 40 minutes before the match, or one day before the Test match, bowling to one stump… Ashwin has been doing this ever since he came into the team, to this day. It’s his process,” Rohit elaborated.
You see these things very rarely in players- Rohit on Ashwin returning to Rajkot
Ashwin had to withdraw from the Test on the same day (end of Day 2) that he finished 500 Test scalps because of a medical problem in his family. According to earlier reports, he wasn’t expected to participate in the game at all. On Day 4, though, the cricketer from Tamil Nadu made a comeback and even took a wicket to help India win.
Rohit Sharma praised Ashwin as an excellent team player, saying:
“The biggest thing is that he’s a team player. We saw it during the Rajkot Test. It was quite a difficult situation for him, but he called me up and said he wanted to come back and do something for the team,”
“You see these things very rarely in players, and when you have players like that in your team, you raise your head even higher,” he added.
In November 2011, Ashwin played his first Test match against the West Indies. He has taken 507 wickets at an average of 23.91 in 99 Test matches. In addition, he has made 3,309 runs with the willow, five of which have been hundreds.