Mt 100: Another milestone

Dharamsala, March 5

On the cusp of completing 100 Tests, India’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin today said he would not have become the bowler that he is now without the learnings from an underwhelming home series against England in 2012, at the end of which he was a “bit nervy”.

That series loss remains India’s last defeat at home and Ashwin’s performance in the four-match rubber left a lot to be desired as the likes of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen played him with ease.

Twelve years later, Ashwin looked back at the turning point of his remarkable career, which now features 507 Test wickets.

“It is a pretty big occasion. More than the destination, the journey has been very special. It is a journey of ups and downs and a lot of learnings,” said Ashwin, who will become only the 14th Indian to reach the 100-Test milestone when the final Test begins here on Thursday.

Casting a spell

A majority of Ashwin’s 507 wickets (354 to be precise) have come in favourable conditions and perhaps that is why he cherishes his effort in Birmingham on the 2018 tour of England. Ashwin picked up seven wickets in that Test, including the important ones of England run-machine Cook and Joe Root.

“It is Test wins that always stand tall. After having given it a thought, one of the finest spells that I have bowled has to be Birmingham, 2018. I bowled in both the innings, I bowled on the morning of Day 3 and got three wickets,” he said. “Then it was a Test match in Bangalore, where I bowled a spell on the Day 2 morning for not many rewards. Day 1 at Centurion in 2018-19, got a four-for and could have been six-for. These are the spells that stand out.”

“One of the turning points of my life was the England series when Cook came here and made all those runs. It has been talked about a lot but to me that and what led to the next home series against Australia (changed a lot for me),” he added. “There was lot of noise about me being left out of the team, one of the selectors had a chat with me. At that time I was a bit nervy though I don’t know where it came from as I had done well previously,” he recalled.

Bairstow’s show

Set to complete a century of Test matches, England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow said reaching the landmark “means hell of a lot” to him given that he has had to wade through testing times.

The 34-year-old will become the 17th Englishman to get a 100th Test cap on Thursday and it will be an emotional week for Bairstow.

“It means a hell of a lot. Every young kid that sets out on a journey playing professional cricket wants to try and play 100 Test matches. You look back to 2012 when I made my debut at Lord’s, if 12 years later you’d said I’d be playing 100 Test matches, you’d snap your hand off for one but also pinching yourself as well,” he said.

Speaking about the pitch, he lauded the groundsmen for doing a “brilliant job” not long after the venue’s outfield was criticised during the ODI World Cup. “Considering the state it was in during the ODI World Cup, it looks like a good pitch and if you are alluding to the fast bowlers getting help from the surface, it will be favourable to both teams,” he said. — PTI

Cricket’s rare gems

• Test cricket will see two players featuring in their 100th game together for only the fourth time when India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and England batter Jonny Bairstow take the field.
• The first was when former England captain Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart reached the landmark against West Indies at Old Trafford back in 2000.
• The second involved three players as Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock and Stephen Fleming played their 100th Test in the South Africa-New Zealand game in Centurion in 2006.
• The third was Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke in the England-Australia Ashes contest in Perth in 2013.
• Just a day after the India-England game begins, New Zealand captain Tim Southee and his predecessor Kane Williamson will play their 100th Test together during the second match against Australia.

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