“Have loved bowling to Steve Smith, Williamson and Joe Root” - Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of 100th Test

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said before his 100th Test that he has enjoyed his tussles with Australia’s Steve Smith, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and England’s Joe Root.

Ashwin as well as England’s keeper-batter Jonny Bairstow will be featuring in their 100th Tests when India face England at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday, March 7.

Speaking to the media ahead of his landmark Test, Ashwin opened up about the on-field battles he has enjoyed over the years.

"I have loved bowling to Steve Smith, Williamson and Joe Root. They are some of the finest batters going around the world now," Ashwin was quoted as saying in a PTI report.

The 37-year-old went on to praise domestic cricket giants like S Badrinath and Mithun Manhas, crediting them for challenging him, thereby helping him hone his skills.

"When I played first-class, I had the privilege of bowling to some of the gun batters of spin - I have bowled to S Badrinath at the Tamil Nadu nets, and he was one of the finest batters of spin, then Mithun Manhas, Rajat Bhatia,” Ashwin said.

"These are some of the greatest batters of spin who I would have not wanted to encounter in international cricket. They were my finishing school before I went on to play international cricket. I'd like to take my hat out to them because they gave me some valuable lessons," the seasoned off-spinner added.

Ashwin has played 155 first-class games, claiming 749 scalps at an average of 24.94.

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“T20 happened by accident” - Ashwin disagrees with theory that white-ball success led to India debut

After making a mark for Chennai Super Kings, Ashwin made his limited-overs debut for India.

His Test debut followed a year later. While many critics reckon that the off-spinner got a nod for national selection on the basis of his white-ball exploits, the man disagrees with the notion.

"I am treading a very careful line of not making this a punch, but it is more of a lack of understanding when you say that I came through the T20 format. I had a good 30-40 matches in first-class cricket before I made it to the Indian team," he countered.

"In the same year I made my Test debut (in 2011), I got a fifer in the Rest of India game for ROI side in the Irani Trophy. I had played 3-4 seasons of club cricket in Chennai. You might say there's a standard difference, but I played 3-4 years of club cricket there, probably mentored by seniors, told where I made mistakes, corrected my discipline, bowled long spells,” he added.

On his T20 success, Ashwin explained that it happened more by accident, while also pointing out that he bagged a CSK contract after picking up five wickets in a club game in Chennai.

"It really builds your resolve as a cricketer when you do all those things. T20 happened by accident. I didn't know what T20 cricket was like. Played SMAT in 2008 for the first time, we were the winners. Got a CSK contract, which also happened because I got a fifer in a 50-over game playing club cricket in Chennai," the Tamil Nadu cricketer said.

"A lot of things need to go your way when you have to get a breakthrough and also continue playing for a so many years. I am indebted for all those things, but I definitely wouldn't agree that I came through the white-ball formats. It was the other way round," the veteran bowled concluded.

In 99 Tests, Ashwin has claimed 507 wickets at an average of 23.91, with 35 five-wicket hauls. He's only the second Indian, after Anil Kumble, with 500-plus Test scalps.