India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin received a special memento from head coach Rahul Dravid before taking the field in his 100th Test match on Thursday.

Ashwin reached the milestone figure in Test cricket during the fifth Test against England at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala. Before the start of the match, Dravid presented the special 100 Test cap to the experienced off-spinner in the presence of his wife Prithi Ashwin and their two daughters. In 99 Tests so far, Ashwin has taken 507 wickets at an average of 23.91, including 35 five-wicket hauls, with the best bowling figures of 7/59. Combine it with his tally of 3,309 runs in 140 innings at an average of 26.14, with five centuries and 14 fifties and he is one of the most successful all-rounders of the modern era. In an interview with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Ashwin said that he had no clue that he could end up playing 100 Test matches when he started his international career. "For me, life and Test cricket are very synonymous. Ravichandran Ashwin is someone very organic. I would say my greatest break from the game itself in the game. I had no clue when I began my international career if I would end up playing 100 Test matches," Ashwin said. The stalwart Indian spinner said that in future he would never talk about the great things that he has done in his life. "There is one thing I don't want to do in my life. Just sit there and talk about the great things I have done in my life. For me the beauty of life is, that you get learnings all the time and that could just be someone who just walks past your life for five minutes but they could give so much to learn," he added.