“He used to be a batter then, I used to bowl” - Rohit Sharma reflects on long association with Ravichandran Ashwin 

Team India captain Rohit Sharma reflected on his long association with veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of the latter’s 100th Test. Going down memory lane, Rohit recalled that during their U-17 days, Ashwin was a batter while he used to bowl.

The 37-year-old Ashwin will be playing his landmark 100th Test when India face England in the fifth and final game of the series at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday, March 7.

At the pre-match press conference, Rohit congratulated Ashwin for getting ‘close to’ 100 Tests and quipped that the toss hasn’t taken place yet.

“I'd like to congratulate him first of all, for getting close to this 100-Test landmark - the toss hasn't happened yet, so (laughs)," Rohit said in his much-admired cheeky tone.

On a serious note, he talked about how their careers have taken vastly different paths since their U-17 days.

"It feels good if you get to see the fruits of all the labour you put in. I've been watching him for so many years. We played together in the Under-19s - we played in the Under-17s too - and he used to be a batter then, an opener, and he started bowling later. I used to bowl then, but I became a batsman, so it's all gone upside-down, but it's gone well for Indian cricket,” Rohit said.

Praising the seasoned off-spinner, Rohit added that Ashwin’s in-depth understanding of his game is one of his biggest assets.

He also hailed the veteran cricketer for all the hard work he has put in behind the scenes over the years.

"I've been watching him for such a long time, how he's evolved as a cricketer. He has so much understanding of his game, and you don't need to think too much if you have such a player in your team. If you put the ball in his hand, he runs the game himself - how to get the batter out, what field to set,” the Indian captain explained.

"And apart from what we get to see on the ground, there's a huge reason behind it, which is the work he does off the field on his bowling. I've seen him so many times, bowling to one stump. For half an hour or 40 minutes before the match, or one day before the Test match, bowling to one stump... Ashwin has been doing this ever since he came into the team, to this day. It's his process," the opener went on to elaborate.

Earlier, during the Rajkot Test, Ashwin achieved another big landmark when he became the second Indian bowler, after Anil Kumble, to claim 500 Test scalps.

The off-spinner got to the landmark by dismissing England opener Zak Crawley.

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“He called me up and said he wanted to come back” - Rohit on Ashwin returning to Rajkot

On the same day (end of Day 2) that he completed 500 Test scalps, Ashwin had to pull out of the Test due to a family medical emergency.

Earlier reports said that he was unlikely to take any further part in the game. However, the Tamil Nadu cricketer returned on Day 4 and even picked up a wicket to contribute to India’s win.

Hailing Ashwin as a complete team man, Rohit said:

"The biggest thing is that he's a team player. We saw it during the Rajkot Test. It was quite a difficult situation for him, but he called me up and said he wanted to come back and do something for the team.

"You see these things very rarely in players, and when you have players like that in your team, you raise your head even higher."

Ashwin made his Test debut against the West Indies in November 2011.

In 99 Tests, he has claimed 507 wickets at an average of 23.91. He has also contributed 3,309 runs with the willow, including five hundreds.