 "R Ashwin")
For Ravichandran Ashwin, 100 Tests might just be a number as he substantiated by giving the examples of Indian greats Zaheer Khan and MS Dhoni, saying that they did not play 100 Tests, but that does not make them any lesser. However, if 100 were just a number it wouldn’t just have been 13 Indian cricketers before him who got to play for such a long time and more.
14th Indian to play 100 Tests
When Ashwin took the field on Thursday, March 7 against England in the fifth and final Test of the five-match series at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, he would have to credit the fact that it was his art to reinvent himself through thick and thin that took him to the milestone.
Check India vs England 5th Test live cricket score and match updates here
Check India vs England 5th Test live cricket score and match updates here
Indian players who have played 100 Tests
| Player | Span | Mat | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | Wkts | BBI | Ave | 5 | Ct |
| SR Tendulkar | 1989-2013 | 200 | 15921 | 248* | 53.78 | 51 | 46 | 3/10 | 54.17 | - | 115 |
| R Dravid | 1996-2012 | 163 | 13265 | 270 | 52.63 | 36 | 1 | 1/18 | 39 | - | 209 |
| VVS Laxman | 1996-2012 | 134 | 8781 | 281 | 45.97 | 17 | 2 | 1/2 | 63 | - | 135 |
| A Kumble | 1990-2008 | 132 | 2506 | 110* | 17.77 | 1 | 619 | 10/74 | 29.65 | 35 | 60 |
| N Kapil Dev | 1978-1994 | 131 | 5248 | 163 | 31.05 | 8 | 434 | 9/83 | 29.64 | 23 | 64 |
| SM Gavaskar | 1971-1987 | 125 | 10122 | 236* | 51.12 | 34 | 1 | 1/34 | 206 | - | 108 |
| DB Vengsarkar | 1976-1992 | 116 | 6868 | 166 | 42.13 | 17 | - | - | - | - | 78 |
| SC Ganguly | 1996-2008 | 113 | 7212 | 239 | 42.17 | 16 | 32 | 3/28 | 52.53 | - | 71 |
| V Kohli | 2011-2024 | 113 | 8848 | 254* | 49.15 | 29 | - | - | - | - | 111 |
| I Sharma | 2007-2021 | 105 | 785 | 57 | 8.26 | - | 311 | 7/74 | 32.4 | 11 | 23 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 1998-2015 | 103 | 2224 | 115 | 18.22 | 2 | 417 | 8/84 | 32.46 | 25 | 42 |
| CA Pujara | 2010-2023 | 103 | 7195 | 206* | 43.6 | 19 | - | - | - | - | 66 |
| V Sehwag | 2001-2013 | 103 | 8503 | 319 | 49.43 | 23 | 40 | 5/104 | 47.35 | 1 | 90 |
| R Ashwin | 2011-2024 | 99 | 3309 | 124 | 26.47 | 5 | 507 | 7/59 | 23.91 | 35 | 33 |
Oldest Indian to feature in his 100th Test
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When the going gets tough, the tough gets going is a saying. But Ashwin has shown it over the years that he means it. In the pre-match press conference, the Indian spinner said that whenever he was under pressure in his career, he tried to put five times more pressure on the opposition. It is with this grit and determination Ashwin managed to become the oldest Indian to reach the milestone of 100 Tests.
Ashwin would be 37 years and 172 days old when he would play the 100th Test. Before him, the record was with Sourav Ganguly who played his 100th Test when he was 35 years and 171 days old.
Most Player of the Series awards
The offie from Chennai is also heads and shoulders above every other Indian when it comes to winning Player of the Series awards. He won the Player of the Series award 1o times. He is only one behind Sri Lankan legend Muttaiah Muralitharan on the list of Most Player of the Series Awards in Tests by a Player.
| Player | Span | Matches | Series | Awards |
| M Muralidaran (ICC/SL) | 1992-2010 | 133 | 61 | 11 |
| R Ashwin (IND) | 2011-2024 | 99 | 41 | 10 |
| JH Kallis (ICC/SA) | 1995-2013 | 166 | 61 | 9 |
| Imran Khan (PAK) | 1971-1992 | 88 | 28 | 8 |
| Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) | 1973-1990 | 86 | 33 | 8 |
Fastest Indian to take 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 Test wickets
It is no secret as to how Ashwin managed to get those 10 awards. He holds the record of being the fastest to every wicket milestone in Test cricket. From being the fastest to 50 wickets and being the fastest 500, Ashwin ticked all the boxes. He holds the record of being the fastest in the world to reach the milestone of 250, 300 and 350 wickets in Tests.
| Milestone Wickets | Against | Match | Year |
| 50 | England | 9 | 2011 |
| 100 | West Indies | 18 | 2013 |
| 150 | South Africa | 29 | 2015 |
| 200 | New Zealand | 37 | 2016 |
| 250 | Bangladesh | 45 | 2017 |
| 300 | Sri Lanka | 54 | 2017 |
| 350 | South Africa | 66 | 2019 |
| 400 | England | 77 | 2021 |
| 450 | Australia | 89 | 2023 |
| 500 | England | 98 | 2024 |
Most dismissals of left-handers
While being an off-spinner is an advantage to Ashwin for being extremely consistent against Left-handed batters. But to have 252, nearly half of all total 507 dismissals, clearly how he has perfected his craft.
James Anderson of England is the second-highest wicket-taker against the southpaws. He has 218 wickets of left-handed batters to his credit.
Best strike among bowlers with 500 or more wickets
As if reaching the milestone of 500 Test wickets was not enough for him, Ashwin shows it off by having the best strike rate among all bowlers to have ever taken 500 or more wickets in Test cricket.
| Player | Span | Mat | Balls | Wkts | BBI | Ave | SR | Five-wicket hauls |
| M Muralidaran (ICC/SL) | 1992-2010 | 133 | 44039 | 800 | 9/51 | 22.72 | 55.04 | 67 |
| SK Warne (AUS) | 1992-2007 | 145 | 40705 | 708 | 8/71 | 25.41 | 57.49 | 37 |
| JM Anderson (ENG) | 2003-2024 | 186 | 39781 | 698 | 7/42 | 26.51 | 56.99 | 32 |
| A Kumble (IND) | 1990-2008 | 132 | 40850 | 619 | 10/74 | 29.65 | 65.99 | 35 |
| SCJ Broad (ENG) | 2007-2023 | 167 | 33698 | 604 | 8/15 | 27.68 | 55.79 | 20 |
| GD McGrath (AUS) | 1993-2007 | 124 | 29248 | 563 | 8/24 | 21.64 | 51.95 | 29 |
| NM Lyon (AUS) | 2011-2024 | 128 | 32651 | 527 | 8/50 | 30.35 | 61.95 | 24 |
| CA Walsh (WI) | 1984-2001 | 132 | 30019 | 519 | 7/37 | 24.44 | 57.84 | 22 |
| R Ashwin (IND) | 2011-2024 | 99 | 26012 | 507 | 7/59 | 23.91 | 51.3 | 35 |
