 "Team India players give guard of honour to R Ashwin as spinner completes 100th Test. BCCI image")
It was momentous occasion at Dharmsala’s HPCA Stadium on Thursday morning as Ravichandran Ashwin became the 14th Indian cricket to earn 100 Test caps. Ashwin’s 100th Test came in the final match of the series against England which got underway in cold conditions of the Himalayan city ( Follow match LIVE ). To make the occasion special, Indian players gave Ashwin a guard of honour as the legend made his way to the ground after India were asked to bowl first.
Before the action begun, Ashwin was handed over a special memento by head coach Rahul Dravid to mark the occasion. Ashwin was presented with a special cap that was placed in a glass case. The off-spinner received the gift with his wife Prithi Narayanan standing next to him and his two daughters.
Ahead of the match, India captain Rohit Sharma had hailed Ashwin for the achievement, acknowledging his match-winning feats.
“(It’s a) big achievement for any player to play 100 Tests. It is a big milestone. He has been a match-winner for us. What he has done for us, no praise is enough,” Sharma said. “His performances over the last five-seven years, every series he has contributed. It is rare to have players like him.”
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“I want to congratulate him for his 100 test landmark, of course, to get near it as the toss hasn’t happened. It feels good to reap the rewards of your hard work.”
100 Test club
Apart from Ashwin, the other Indians to play 100 Test matches are: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and Cheteshwar Pujara.