Ravichandran Ashwin is one of India's greatest match winners, especially in the longest format of the game. The right-arm off-break bowler recently got into the 500-Test wicket zone while also completing 100 Test matches for India. To honour Ashwin on these remarkable achievements, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) felicitated the 37-year-old with 500 gold coins as well as a cash prize of INR 1 crore.
During the felicitation ceremony, Ashwin spoke at length about his career while expressing his gratitude for MS Dhoni who handed him a new-ball against Chris Gayle in the IPL 2011 final.
"In 2008, I met all the greats (in the CSK dressing room), including Matthew Hayden and MS Dhoni. But I sat through (IPL) 2008. I was nobody then. I did not see myself playing in a team that had Muttiah Muralitharan back in the day," Ashwin recalled.
"I wish to thank him (skipper Dhoni) from the bottom of my heart. I will forever be indebted to him for what he gave me. He gave me an opportunity with the new ball to go head-on with Chris Gayle and years later, Anil bhai (Anil Kumble) would be talking about that particular episode," he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin Second Indian To Reach 500 Test Wickets
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that Ashwin is only the second Indian to reach to 500 Test wickets after the legendary India leg-spinner Anil Kumble. While Kumble ended his career with 619 Test wickets from 132 matches, Ashwin currently has 516 wickets in 100 matches. It won't be a surprise if Ashwin ends as India's leading wicket-taker in Test matches by the time he hangs up his cricketing boots.
With him not being a part of white-ball scheme of things, it seems like Ashwin does have a fair bit of red-ball cricket remaining in him. Ashwin got to the 500-Test wicket milestone in 98 Tests, also making him the second fastest to get there after Muttiah Muralitharan.