The third Test in Rajkot marked England captain Ben Stokes’s 100th appearance. The final Test of a series that India have already clinched 3-1, beginning at the picture-perfect HPCA Stadium on Friday, will see his compatriot Jonny Bairstow and Indian spinning ace R Ashwin gatecrash that club.

Process is key

There is plenty of brouhaha surrounding the 37-year-old Ashwin, but none of that is emanating from the eloquent off-spinner. Ashwin is a big fan of the process and therefore it’s not hard to understand his equanimity ahead of what, by all accounts, is a monumental accomplishment for the engineer from Chennai.

Until England’s second innings in the fourth Test in Ranchi when he picked up a five-for, Ashwin had had a quiet series, rudely interrupted by a quick dash to Chennai following a family emergency, hours after he had become just the second Indian to reach 500 wickets on Day Two of the third Test in Rajkot. He couldn’t have asked for a better setting in which to earn just rewards for his longevity