India’s veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had another fine day at his home ground at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. Ashwin scored his fifth Test hundred as he scored a fine knock of 106 runs. The right-hander brought his hundred off just 134 balls as he batted at the top of his game.
Ashwin became the second Tamil Nadu player to score a Test century at Chepauk after Kris Srikkanth, who had scored 123 against Pakistan in 1986/87. Furthermore, this is Ashwin’s first hundred against any team other than West Indies.
After scoring a fine century, Ashwin achieved a double of a five-wicket haul and a century. Ashwin has achieved this kind of performance for the third time in his Test career.
Thus, the all-rounder has gone past the record of Jacques Kallis, Gary Sobers, Mushtaq Mohammad, and Shakib-Al-Hasan, who have all achieved the same landmark on two occasions. Polly Umrigar and Vinoo Mankad are the only other Indians who have achieved this unique all-round feat.
Meanwhile, former England legendary all-rounder Ian Botham had achieved the same on five occasions.
Ash was aggressive in his batting approach in the initial phase of his innings and took the attack against the England bowlers. The right-hander made great use of the sweep shot in the early phase of his innings as he batted at the top of his game.
Ashwin scored 14 fours and one maximum as he scored his runs at a strike rate of 71.62. On the other hand, Ashwin had scalped his 29th five-wicket haul in the Test fold in the first innings. Furthermore, Ashwin also dismissed Rory Burns in the second innings.
India has set a huge target of 482 runs for England and the visitors have an uphill task of saving this Test match. England are tottering at 53-3 at the end of the third day’s play.
