R Ashwin hits sensational ton in Bengaluru pink-ball Test, becomes first cricketer to achieve incredible feat
Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday hit a sensational hundred, not with the bat though, to become the first cricketer ever to achieve an incredible feat in Test cricket.
Ashwin achieved the feat on Day 3 of the pink-ball Test against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru where he had finished with 4 for 55 in the second innings in India’s impressive 238-run win.
The four-wicket haul in the second innings helped Ashwin complete 100 wickets in World Test Championship, making him the first cricketer to achieve the three-figure mark in tournament that had begun in in 2019.
His 100 wickets came in 21 Test matches at an average of 19.66 and strike rate of 47.11 with four five-wicket hauls. Australian captain Pat Cummins stands second on the list with 93 wickets in 20 Tests while veteran England pacer stands third with 83 wickets in 21 matches. The next best Indian on the list is Jasprit Bumrah, who stands fifth with 74 scalps in 19 games.
Ashwin had finished the first cycle of World Test championship, 2019 to 2021, as the highest wicket-taker, finishing with 71 wickets in 14 Tests at 20.33 and strike rate of 46.4. Cummins and Broad had finished second and third with 70 and 69 wickets respectively. In the ongoing cycle, 2021 to 2023, Ashwin picked 29 wickets in seven Tests, but stands sixth among wicket-takers with Bumrah leading with 40 wickets in nine games.
Earlier during the match, Ashwin had surpassed South African great Dale Steyn to become the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Test history after picking his second wicket in the second innings, and went past Aussie legend Shane Warne to become the fourth-highest wicket-taker against Sri Lanka in Tests.
“I enjoyed the spell today. It is a combination of a lot of things and it is an internal battle to try and understand the rhythm and pace I want to bowl. I thought the Ahmedabad pitch was much quicker and had more bounce than this one,” Ashwin said in the post-match presentation.