R Ashwin will play his 100th Test match for India in Dharamsala against England on March 7. Ashwin is on the cusp of becoming the 14th Indian cricketer to play 100 Tests for the country. He is set to be a part of an elite list of players.
Ashwin has taken 507 wickets in 99 Test matches, getting 35 five-wicket hauls, with his best bowling figures being 7/59. With the bat, he has scored 3309 runs with 14 half-centuries and five centuries, his highest score being 124 runs. Ashwin has been one of India's biggest match-winners in the longer form of the game, not only with the ball but also with the bat.
Here are the Indian players who have played 100 Test matches
1. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar is considered one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game and is also called the ‘God of cricket’. Tendulkar has played 200 Test matches, the most by any player in Test history. He is also the leading run-scorer in the format, scoring 15921 runs along with 51 centuries.
2. Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid is one of the best Test batters India have seen as he has played many memorable knocks for the country at number three in Test matches. Dravid has played 163 Test matches, scoring 13265 runs with 36 centuries.
3. VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman is one of India's best middle-order batters and will always be remembered for his miraculous 281-run knock against Australia in Kolkata in 2001, which led India to victory despite following on. Laxman has played 134 Test matches and scored 8781 runs with 17 centuries.
4. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is one of India's greatest-ever spinners and the country's leading wicket-taker in the longest format of the game. In 132 Tests, Kumble has 619 Test wickets. He is also one of the three bowlers, along with Jim Laker and Ajaz Patel, to take all ten wickets in an innings. He achieved this feat against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.
5. Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev is considered one of the greatest all-rounders the game has ever seen, he was phenomenal with both bat and ball. In 131 Tests for India, Dev has taken 434 wickets and also scored 5248 runs with the bat.
6. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar is regarded as one of the best batters of the 1970s and 1980s in the longer format of the game. Gavaskar played 125 Tests, scoring 10,122 runs along with 34 centuries. He is also the first batter to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
7. Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar had a brilliant record in the longer format of the game, scoring consistently for India during the 1980s. In 116 Tests, Vengsarkar scored 6868 runs with 17 centuries.
8. Sourav Ganguly
One of India's best captains, Sourav Ganguly, revolutionised Indian cricket in the 2000s with his aggressive style of captaincy. In 113 Test matches, Ganguly scored 7212 runs along with 16 centuries.
9. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is regarded by many as the greatest all-format batsman the game has ever seen. Kohli has also been one of India's best Test captains and has won the Test mace on five occasions. In 113 Test matches, the 35-year-old has scored 8848 runs with 29 centuries.
10. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma has been a brilliant fast bowler for India in the longest format of the game, giving many memorable performances. In 105 Tests, Sharma took 311 wickets.
11. Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara has been one of India's best Test batters in the last decade and has played a key role in India's victories in Australia. In 103 Test matches, Pujara has scored 7195 runs with 19 centuries.
12. Virender Sehwag
One of India's greatest Test openers, Virender Sehwag, was known for his aggressive scoring in Test cricket. He was also the first ever Indian to score a Test triple century. In 103 Tests, Sehwag scored 8503 runs with 23 centuries.
13. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh has been one of India's best spin bowlers in Test cricket with consistent performances with the ball. In 103 Tests, Harbhajan has taken 417 wickets.
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