India vs England 2021: It Was Pretty Amazing To See Mohammed Siraj Celebrating My Hundred, Says Ravichandran Ashwin

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin scored a sublime century on day 3 of the second Test between India and England being played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Ashwin, who was previously criticized for his batting, had shown that his batting knack was back when he earned a fighting draw for India against Australia in Sydney recently.

Here in Chennai, Ravichandran Ashwin provided amazing support to India Captain Virat Kohli but ended up scoring faster than India’s best batsman. The duo added 96 runs for the eight-wicket giving the home team a massive advantage against England as they posted 286 runs, to add to the 195-run lead.

When Virat Kohli fell for a hard-fought 62 in 149 balls with 7 fours to his name, Ravi Ashwin needed quite a few runs to make his half-century. He only had Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammed Siraj for support at the other hand, and decided to take on the England bowlers to reach his milestone. He reached his 5^th Test century in 134 balls with 1 six and 14 fours to his name.

It Was Thrilling To Bat With Mohammed Siraj, Says Ravichandran Ashwin

After Kuldeep Yadav fell for 3 runs in 9 balls and Ishant Sharma got out for 7 in 24 balls, Ravi Ashwin was left with no.11 Mohammed Siraj. He decided to farm strike as much as possible, though he trusted Siraj to play out a few deliveries as well, even an entire over.

The best moment came after Ravichandran Ashwin completed his century by hitting a four and Mohammed Siraj celebrated his milestone with more enthusiasm than Ashwin, pumping his hands in the air and jumping as well, before hugging and fist-bumping the centurion.

“In the past, he’s [Ishant Sharma] been with me when I got hundreds at home and once Siraj came, I knew I had to get it done in a few overs. I was thrilled for his batting and told him to go through the line of the ball. It was amazing to see how excited he was when I got my hundred, says a thing or two about the Indian dressing room. I don’t know what the team is feeling like but I am sure they are thrilled. I can’t thank the crowd enough, they have been very supportive,” Ravichandran Ashwin said during the post-match presentation.

Ravi Ashwin also picked one wicket as England ended day 3 on 54/3 needing 429 more runs to win on days 4 and 5.

Also Read: After Anil Kumble If I See The Greatest Match-Winner India Ever Have Had, It’s Ravichandran Ashwin – Gautam Gambhir