Ravichandran Ashwin is set to join the elite ranks of Test cricket legends on Thursday (March 7) as he takes to the field for the fifth and final Test of the ongoing India versus England series at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, marking his 100th Test appearance for India.
Ashwin will be the 14th Indian cricketer and only the 5th bowler from the country to reach this significant milestone. He will also become only the sixth spinner in the history of the sport to play in 100 Test matches, joining the illustrious company of Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and Nathan Lyon.
R Ashwin's wife makes shocking revelation
“The big turning point in his career was 2017. In March that year, he told me 'I'm working on this leg-spin. If it doesn't come off, I will be out'. I didn't actually put so much thought into what he said because he was adjudged ICC Player of the Year and ICC Bowler of the Year only a few days ago. And in that 2016/17 home season, he had a stellar performance. But in the middle of the year, he was not part of the white-ball team. Those were really hard days for him,” Prithi wrote in a column for Indian Express.
"He is someone who seeks clarity and because that was not there, it was very hard for him. He didn't know if he was dropped or rested. If someone told Ashwin, 'come here, you are not good enough', he would get out and work on it. But when he was not told why he wasn't there, I saw him struggling. And at that point, my plate was full. I had two tiny children. So it was hard for him to actually open up to any of us," Prithi's column added.
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When Ashwin sought counselling after getting dropped from white-ball cricket
"It is probably the only time when he didn't. And he did seek help from outside, going through counselling. There was a tough period and it was something none of us could help him with. And he needed someone who was from the fraternity who could help him. It took him a year to accept that he was not in the scheme of things. After that he was a different person. Not once was he thinking of comebacks, it was always about being on top of his game," Prithi added.
Following the 2017 Champions Trophy, Ashwin was absent from India's white-ball cricket lineup until a surprising selection for the 2021 T20 World Cup. He maintained his position for the 2022 T20 World Cup as well. From the Champions Trophy final in 2017 until September 2023, Ashwin only participated in two ODIs for India. However, he was included in the Indian squad for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup last year, stepping in after Axar Patel suffered an injury. In the realm of Test cricket, Ashwin holds the position of India's second all-time highest wicket-taker, having claimed 507 wickets in the format.
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