



England rallied to win the 2012 series 2-1, their first in India since 1984-85.
India vs England 2024: The fifth and final Test match at Dharamsala will be special for R Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow who will feature in their 100th Tests.
Ravichandran Ashwin claimed his 500th Test wicket after removing Zak Crawley for 15 in the first innings, but a bigger talking point was him withdrawing from the match due to a family emergency after the second day's play.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik hinted about Ashwin's imminent return on-air while commentating for the host broadcaster before the start of the proceedings on day four
Ashwin also became only the third off-spinner to achieve the feat and continues to be the second highest wicket-taker for India behind Kumble, who ended his career with 619 scalps.
Ravichandran Ashwin became only the second bowler after Anil Kumble to reach the landmark of 500 Test wickets and achieved the feat in his 98th Test match and was congratulated by many on social media.
India vs England 2024: Ravichandran Ashwin claimed the wicket of Zak Crawley, who was caught by Rajat Patidar for 15 in England's first innings.
R. Ashwin is likely to get this 500th wicket this week at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, in his 98th Test. That will make him the second fastest in history to 500 Test wickets, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan. R. Ashwin has another milestone coming up: if all goes to plan, he should be playing his 100th Test at HPCA in Dharmshala from March 7-11.
India vs England 2024: Ben Stokes, who decided to bide his time in the middle, took 33 balls to reach his score before he was bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin, much to the delight of his teammates and those present at the venue and watching at home.
India is certain to go in with at least three spinners in each Test as it may find the pitch conditions lip-smacking.
2024 promises to be an equally challenging year for India, with bilateral series scheduled both home and away and a T20 World Cup set to take place in the middle of the year.
There could be a fairytale return to World Cup cricket for R. Ashwin on October 8 at the ground where he evolved as a cricketer, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
R Ashwin replaced Axar Patel in India's final 15-member squad on Thursday.
Senior players including skipper Rohit Sharma, senior batter Virat Kohli, all-rounder Hardik Pandya and in-form spinner Kuldeep Yadav were rested from the first two games, giving them a chance to get mentally fresh for the mega event.
Kuldeep Yadav was picked as the lone specialist spinner in India's initial 15-member squad for the World Cup on home soil, along with spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
The experienced R Ashwin could have provided the batting depth besides bowling, and Yuzvendra Chahal's loopy googlies have worked in Indian conditions.
In a rare achievement, batters from Australia occupy the top three places in the rankings as Steve Smith and Travis Head joined top-ranked Marnus Labuschagne following their centuries in the WTC final win against India at The Oval.
Tendulkar emphasised that skillful spinners like Ashwin do not rely solely on turning tracks to be effective. Instead, they utilise air drift and surface bounce to deceive batsmen with their variations.
What surprised Tendulkar is the fact that he found it difficult to believe that a bowler of Ashwin's calibre can't be used in conditions which are seamer-friendly.
| Rank | Team | Points | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3732 | 124 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3581 | 116 |
| 3 | England | 4469 | 112 |
| 4 | India | 4064 | 104 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 2409 | 96 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 2364 | 88 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 2050 | 82 |
| 8 | West Indies | 2036 | 70 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 1888 | 63 |
| 10 | Ireland | 185 | 23 |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | 208 | 12 |
| 12 | Afghanistan | 62 | 10 |