Veteran spin bowling allrounder Ravichandran Ashwin completed his fourth double of a hundred and a five-for in the same Test to take India to a 1-0 series lead against Bangladesh with a 280-run win in the first Test on Sunday.Moreover, Ashwin claimed his record-breaking 37th five-wicket haul took him level with the great Shane Warne, behind only Sri Lanka great Muthiah Muralidaran’s 67.
On day four, Bangladesh slipped from 205/5 to 234/10, with Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ruling the roost. The spin twins shared nine wickets between them. While Jadeja picked up three wickets, Ashwin finished with a fifer in addition to his century on the opening day.
“Every time I play in Chennai, it’s an amazing feeling for me. I have watched a lot of Test cricket and international cricket sitting in those stands. I am probably enjoying my play because of what I am doing. It was an opportunity to fight and dig deep. I kept it simple; I have to thank Jadeja who helped me,” said Ashwin after the match.
The 38-year-old allrounder hit a brilliant counterattacking hundred to take India to a strong position at stumps on day one Test. India found themselves in trouble at 144/6. Ashwin then stepped in and batted with confidence, notching up his 6th Test century. His vital 199-run partnership with Jadeja (86) helped India recover and post a total of 376.
“Quite a special knock, didn’t sink in till day two. I make a living by bowling. Bowling comes first. Batting is something that comes naturally. Over the last few years, I have tried to compartmentalise. Glad I ended up with a few wickets today as well. I make a living by bowling, so bowling comes first all the time.
“I think like a bowler mostly but I have made a conscious effort to think like a batter when I walk out with a bat in my hand. Batting is something that comes naturally but yet I have struggled sometimes with my thoughts getting ahead of myself. I have tried to manage it. Over the last few years, I have managed to compartmentalize both, but it is a work in process,” he added.
With his ton, Ashwin equalled MS Dhoni’s career tally of six Test centuries, achieving the same in two innings lesser than the legendary former captain. Batting at No.8, Ashwin now has four Test centuries, the most for anyone after Daniel Vettori, who has five, according to ICC stats.
Ashwin also now has 20 scores of fifty or more in Tests, three more than Sir Richard Hadlee, while recording the same number of five-wicket hauls as him in the format (36 five-wicket hauls), underscoring his status as one of the format’s greatest all-rounders.