Indian opener KL Rahul ended a long home-soil century drought, scoring his 11th Test hundred in India's opening match against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday. He reached 100 off 197 balls, hitting 12 stylish fours.
Opener Musheer Khan (112) and veteran Siddhesh Lad (100 not out) hit centuries to rally Mumbai to 289/5 on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match against Himachal Pradesh.
Ashwin's decision too came as a bit of a surprise, especially considering the team's reliance on him.
"I will be walking out with you to bat at the MCG," R Ashwin told Virat Kohli in a short note on X Friday, a subtle and endearing demonstration of their closeness in the team.
Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin says New Zealand, despite the absence of the long-serving pace duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, who have quit playing the 50-over format, will pose a challenge to India.
Rahul had scored last scored a century home way back in December 2016 against England at Chennai, scoring 199.
'Good leaders emerge when they show resolve for a scrap.'
Ravichandran, father of veteran off-spinner Ashwin, said he was caught off guard by his son's sudden retirement from international cricket, but stunningly hinted that there could be underlying reasons for it, including him feeling "humiliated".
'Normally, you tend to look at the end of the series. That's it. In the middle, it is not usual.'
He overtook Australian spinner Nathan Lyon to become the seventh highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin visualises himself doing a lot more on the cricket field at least for the next few years.
The production house Vyjayanthi Movies confirmed the news in a official statement on X.
'...there's something better and meaningful to explore.'
In 242 international appearances, Gambhir scored 10,324 runs at an average of 38.95, with 20 centuries and 63 fifties in 283 innings. He is amongst 14 Indians to have 10,000 international runs.
Key players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to consider stepping away from the Test format to make way for a new generation of talent.
Ravichandran Ashwin's wife Prithi Narayanan penned a heartfelt tribute for her husband following his recent retirement from international cricket, saying "it is time to set the burden of being you down" and embrace life beyond the game.
If one has to analyse Ashwin the cricketer, it is very difficult to ignore Ashwin, the person, who had a very independent mind and a brain that probably ticked 24x7. He believed in de-construction of his art and became craftier one ball at a time.
Ravichandran Ashwin became the first bowler to pick 50 or wickets in each of three World Test Championship cycles.
Vimal Khumar and Pradosh Ranjan Paul struck massive hundreds as Tamil Nadu piled up 399 for two against Nagaland on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match in Dimapur on Saturday.
An astute reader of the game both on and off the field, Ashwin might have gauged what was in store going forward and that perhaps made it easier for him to take a call.
Ravichandran Ashwin returned home on Thursday after his shock international retirement in the middle of a Test series in Australia
Former Australia wicketkeeper and captain Tim Paine doesn't regret sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the third Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Shubman Gill has described his appointment as India's ODI captain as the "biggest honour", expressing pride in carrying forward the legacy left by Rohit Sharma, who will play under him in the upcoming three-match series in Australia.
Jasprit Bumrah bettered spin stalwart Ravichandran Ashwin's all-time rating-point record by an Indian in the latest ICC rankings.
Dubey said he did not try anything different for his record wicket haul but credited the feat to getting a regular run in the premier domestic tournament.
This marks a rebound after more than two years of underperformance during a strong rally in smallcap stocks.
Ravichandran Ashwin has picked up a record 420 wickets in 71 Tests played in Asia -- the most by an Indian bowler.
Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
'I guess the thinking going into the last Test, we wanted to strengthen the batting'
R Ashwin says he has figured out ways to tackle Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith in the upcoming five-match Test series
Having made their Test debuts in the same year, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin will face each other for the eighth time in the longest format during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The short turnaround time from the high of winning a controversy-marred Asia Cup notwithstanding, Shubman Gill's India will be outright favourites against a struggling and under-strength West Indies when the teams face-off on a green-top in the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Ashwin is focused on taking it one day at a time.
Nayar believes that the whole team has bought into Rohit and Gambhir's philosophy, including the two spin greats.
'Dhoni is a very cool captain. But he was also very happy and was enjoying that moment.'
Mitchell Starc has paid a glorious tribute to the just-retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin believes that the uncapped Anshul Kamboj belongs to the rare breed of fast bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Jasprit Bumrah.
Could the Chennai Test against Bangladesh this week be Ravichandran Ashwin's last Test in front of his home fans?
Ravichandran Ashwin has the second most wickets by an active player in Test cricket. Australia's Nathan Lyon leads the list with 530 wickets and Ashwin can overtake him in the second Test in Kanpur.
Ashwin's performance earned him praise and humour from fans online. Many playfully acknowledged his transformation from a renowned bowler to a reliable middle-order batsman.
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