IND vs ENG 2024: He has been a match-winner for us – Rohit Sharma hails Ravichandran Ashwin for playing 100 Test matches

Indian captain Rohit Sharma showered praise on Ravichandran Ashwin when the off-spinner became the 14th Indian player to feature in his 100th Test.

The veteran off-spinner has bagged a total of 507 wickets in 99 Test matches at an impressive average of 23.92 and he is the second-highest wicket-taker for India after Anil Kumble in the red-ball version. Ashwin became the second quickest to reach the landmark of 500 scalps after Muttiah Muralitharan.

Ashwin has taken 35 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket and he is still going strongly at the top level. Furthermore, Ashwin has scored 3309 runs in his glorious Test career, including five centuries, and thus has added crucial runs while batting down the order.

“Big achievement for any player to play 100 Tests. He has been a match winner for us. What he has done for us, no praise is enough. His performances over the last five-seven years, every series he has contributed. It is rare to have players like him,” the Indian captain said after losing the toss in the fifth Test.

On the other hand, Ashwin received a special cap from head coach Rahul Dravid with his family also present for the occasion before the start of the game. Ashwin said he relates his life to movies and it has tremendously helped him.

Speaking to BCCI, Ashwin said, “Lot of my takes in life, and sport and in general, come from movies. In one movie, Rajini [Rajinikanth] actually goes on to say this dialogue – when you know the death date, your living time becomes hell [English translation of dialogue]. We all know that we have a marked death date, but we all live very happily. We all live the moment, we all want to express ourselves because we all believe we are immortal for a very long time.”

“The moment you know there is a finite nature to it, you start defending that finite nature. You don’t start living that finite space. And I found that very deep. When you understand it and are able to put thought to it, it kind of pushes the bar even more. And that’s how I shed massive insecurities in my life.”

Ashwin has consistently delivered for India over the years and he will look to continue the good show.

At lunch on the opening day, England were 100-2 after winning the toss in the fifth Test.