Ashwin, a modern master with a positive mindset Premium

In many ways, Ashwin, who will play his 100th Test in the Dharamsala Test againt England, stands alone. He is constantly experimenting, constantly pushing himself, and always fighting two battles every time he steps onto the field, writes Suresh Menon.

There is something magical about the figure ‘100’ in cricket. In Dharamshala this week, R. Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow play their one hundredth Test match, while in Christchurch it is the turn of Kane Williamson and Tim Southee to do so, each accompanied by loyal colleagues, supportive families, enthralled media and figure-hugging statisticians.

When Colin Cowdrey became the first to the mark in 1968, it had taken him 14 years. There was little fanfare. He was cheered to the crease by the Edgbaston crowd, later played with an injury and with Geoff Boycott as his runner, remaining unbeaten on 95 at the end of the day’s play.

“Cowdrey, in spite of a hampering injury, played one of the most accomplished and felicitous innings of his career…,” wrote John Arlott.

INFOGRAPHICS | Where Ashwin stands among the bowling pantheon

“It is not easy to play 100 Test matches,” Rahul Dravid, who has played 164, once said. “Test cricket is not easy. To be able to play one is great, to be able to play 100 is a fantastic achievement.”

A player with 100 Tests behind him has an impressive CV when it comes to being selected for an all-time team to represent his country. Would Ashwin find a place in an all-time India team?

Such selections cannot be based on figures alone, although Ashwin would walk in as India’s most successful off-spinner. They are not based on averages either (although Ashwin has the best among Indian spinners with over 100 wickets) or strike rates (ditto). There is also the conviction that contemporary bowlers have more tricks up their sleeve than those of an earlier vintage, thus giving them an advantage. After all, contemporary engineers know more than those of the 19th century, and most undergraduates in philosophy are better trained than Plato was.