Ravichandran Ashwin

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.