Ravichandran Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow: 2 different roads to 100 Tests

When R Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow step out to feature in their 100th Tests on Thursday, they will become the third pair in Test history to feature in a century of Test matches in the same match.

The ongoing India-England Test series has been one of the most watched bilateral rubbers in India, in many a year, on account of numerous factors such as even-paced pitches and individual brilliance from players in both teams.

The hosts have clinched the Test series 3-1 and head into the fifth and final Test at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, looking to win a fourth straight Test and strengthen their position further on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.

The match will be special for two players-one from each side-who have made it to 100 Tests, battling their way through several crests and troughs.

Ravichandran Ashwin made his Test debut in 2011 and has endured an almost 13-year long journey to a century of Tests by navigating his way through many highs and lows, without ever losing the belief in his ability to be an all-time great in Indian cricket.

Unlike many other sports, cricket requires captains to bring the best out of players to understand their strengths and work in coordination with them. In that regard, a major turning point in Ashwin's Test career came in 2015, when Virat Kohli took over from MS Dhoni as the Test skipper.

The appointment of Virat Kohli as Test captain changed R Ashwin's career in whites.

In the subsequent seven years under Kohli, Ashwin experienced the best phase of his Test career, especially in sub-continental conditions. The off-spinner played 55 Tests under Kohli and claimed 293 wickets at an average of 22.13 and broke a plethora of records in that phase.

Getting to 100 Test matches would be the second major landmark for Ashwin in the series, after he became the second spinner after Anil Kumble to get to 500 Test wickets, when he removed Zak Crawley at Rajkot.

Joining Ashwin in playing his 100th Test at Dharamsala would be another player, who has had his tough phases but worked his up the ladder to cement his place in the Test side.

Jonny Bairstow debuted for England 2012, less than a year after Ashwin. With England's top-order and middle-order still comprising the likes of Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell, opportunities to play for England were few and far between in the initial years.

The turning point in Bairstow's Test career came in 2016 when with the likes of Pietersen and Bell no longer part of the setup, he got the chances that he desired and made the most of it by scoring 1,470 runs in 17 Tests at an average of 58.80.

However, that was to be his peak as a Test cricketer for the next few years as, despite getting sufficient chances, he failed to create the impact that England needed from him.

Brendon McCullum's appointment as head coach and Ben Stokes' appointment as captain breathed fresh life into Jonny Bairstow the Test player.

The change, however, came in 2022 with the appointment of Ben Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as coach. Their new approach of going all out and taking on the bowling brought the best out of Bairstow as he racked up 1,061 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 66.31.

When Ashwin and Bairstow step out to feature in their 100th Tests on Thursday, they will become the third pair in Test history to feature in a century of Test matches in the same match after Michael Atherton and Alwc Stewart (vs West Indies, Old Trafford 2000) and Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke (Perth 2013).

A day after Ashwin and Bairstow feature in their 100th Tests, the New Zealand duo of Kane Williamson and Tim Southee will reach the landmark against Australia at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.