IND vs SL: R Ashwin becomes the first cricketer to score a century in a pink ball test at Bengaluru

Despite being an off-spinner, Indian Ravichandran Ashwin hit a sensational century on Monday, not with the bat though, to become the first cricketer to ever achieve such an incredible feat in Test cricket. Ashwin took 4 for 55 in the second innings in India’s 238-run win against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Day 3 of the pink-ball Test.

As a result of his four-wicket haul in the second innings, Ashwin became the first cricketer to reach three figures in the World Test Championship since it began in 2019. Averaging 19.66 with a strike rate of 47.11, he took 100 wickets in 21 Tests. In 20 Test matches, Australian captain Pat Cummins has taken 93 wickets while veteran England pacer Graham Gooch has taken 83 wickets. With 74 wickets in 19 games, Jasprit Bumrah stands fifth on the list of best Indian bowlers. For the first cycle of World Test championships from 2019 to 2021, Ashwin led the wicket-takers, finishing with 71 wickets in 14 matches at 20.33 and 46.4 strike rates. With 70 and 69 wickets respectively, Cummins and Broad completed second and third respectively. Ashwin picked up 29 wickets in seven Tests during the current cycle, 2021 to 2023, but he is sixth in wicket-takers behind Bumrah, who has 40 wickets in nine games.

”Today was a good spell for me. There are a lot of factors at play, and I am trying to understand the rhythm and pace I want to bowl at. I thought the Ahmedabad pitch was much faster and bouncer than this one,” stated Ashwin in the press conference after the match.