One memorable outing for Ravichandran Ashwin in Dharamsala! The veteran spinner, turning up for the 100th time in Test cricket, ran through England's top order on Day 3 of the series finale to help India register an emphatic innings and 64 runs and consolidate their top standing in the updated ICC World Test Championships points table. (IND vs ENG Test Scoreboard | Cricket News)
Ashwin missed out on both Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards to fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav and young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, respectively, but the 37-year-old achieved a few personal milestones during the series.
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His match figures of 9/128 (4/51 and 5/77) are the best in the 100th Test, bettering Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan's 9/141 against Sri Lanka in 2006.
Ashwin, a master of the craft, said that he tried different actions, speeds and releases during the series.
"Feeling very happy. I can't really put a wrap around how I feel right now. Lots of well wishes before the 100th Test, the off-spinner told official broadcasters of the series after the match." Throughout the series I have gone to different actions, speeds and releases."
Ashwin is also the first bowler to take a five-wicket haul on his debut as well as the 100th Test. On his debut outing against the West Indies in Delhi in 2011, Ashwin claimed nine wickets, including six scalps in the first essay (6/47) to claim the Player of the Match award. He never looked back.
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Ashwin is the fourth bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the 100th Test, after Australia's Shane Warne, Indian compatriot Anil Kumble and Muralitharan. With his 36th fifer, Ashwin overtook Kumble in the list of most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket led by Muralitharan (67). Warne (37) and Richard Hadlee (36) are also in the top five.
In 100 Test matches, Ashwin has taken 516 wickets at an average of 23.75. He has also scored 3309 runs with the help of five centuries.
