Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow are poised for their 100th Test match together

In a rare event for Test cricket, India’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and England batter Jonny Bairstow are poised to participate in their 100th Test match together, marking only the fourth occurrence in the sport’s history. This significant milestone is scheduled to take place during the fifth and final Test match in Dharamsala on Thursday, March 7th. The first time it happened in year 2000 when former England captain Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart reached their 100th Test match together against the West Indies at Old Trafford. The second occurrence involved three players: South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, and New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming, who celebrated their 100th Test during the South Africa-New Zealand encounter in Centurion in 2006. The third time it happened in 2013 with Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke during the England-Australia Ashes encounter in Perth . This upcoming match between Ashwin and Bairstow highlights the longevity of their cricketing journeys and the rarity of such a significant event in the history of Test cricket.