Veteran off-spinner R Ashwin recounted his mother’s hilarious response to a fan’s post that compared his bowling figures from his debut Test to his 100th Test. Ashwin achieved identical bowling figures of 9/128 in both matches. Ashwin played the milestone Test match and received his 100th Test cap during the 5th Test match between India and England at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
Ashwin shared his mother’s humorous reaction, capturing the sentiment of many Indian parents. Highlighting the similarity between his debut Test figures and those of his 100th Test, Ashwin’s mother jokingly remarked on his apparent lack of improvement despite 14 years of international cricket. The playful critique echoed the familiar tendency of Indian parents to remain critical of their children, regardless of their accomplishments. It served as a reminder that even a seasoned off-spinner like Ashwin was subject to the same parental scrutiny as any other Indian child.
Ashwin took to ‘X’ captioned the post, “No improvement after all these years of playing the game. Only mom can say things likes these.”
ASHWIN’S FULL CIRCLE MOMENT
It marked a complete journey for Ashwin, as the off-spinner had registered match figures of 129 for 9 in his debut Test match against the West Indies in Delhi back in 2011. Astonishingly, after more than a decade, Ashwin, in his 100th Test match against England in Dharamsala, concluded with identical match figures of 128/9. His stellar performance included two five-wicket hauls in the series, one of which occurred in his milestone 100th Test, contributing significantly to India’s commanding 4-1 victory over England. With 36 five-wicket hauls, he surpassed Anil Kumble to claim the record for the most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket.
The 37-year-old became the 14th Indian to complete a century of matches for India in the red-ball format. Demonstrating mastery in his craft, he delivered the finest spell by a bowler in his 100th Test, surpassing the record held by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. Following his outstanding performance in the 5-match Test series against England, where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker with 26 wickets in 10 innings, he ascended to the ICC’s No. 1 ranked bowler position, displacing Jasprit Bumrah from the top spot.