The fascinating Test series between India and England is all set to close with the fifth and the final Test to be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. England’s Bazball failed against the Indian challenge as even without going into the series finale, the hosts have taken an unassailable lead of 3-1. But still, there is much to play for.
The fight in the World Test Championship rankings makes every game a crucial one. This Test is also set to mark the 100th appearance for India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and England’s Jonny Bairstow. The two are set to join the 100-club which remains not so rare now considering that 76 players have already played 100 or more than 100 Tests. But as they will play their landmark game together, it becomes a pretty rare occasion in the 147-year-old Test history.
Only for the third time in Test cricket, two players from opposing teams will be playing their 100th Test in the same game. The first such occasion involved three players when Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock and Stephen Fleming played their 100th Test in the SA vs NZ 2006 Centurion Test.
The second occasion was when this happened was in 2013 when Michael Clarke and Alastair Cook played their 100th Test matches during the Ashes in Australia. If both Ashwin and Bairstow play the 5th Test in Dharamsala, it will be the third occasion for this unique record to be emulated. Overall, there have been three instances of players playing their 100th Test in the same match. The other instance was during England’s Test series against West Indies when England’s Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart played their 100th Test from the same side.
Notably, some 12000 Kms away from India, two more players, albeit from the same side will also make their 100th Test appearance. New Zealand’s Tim Southee and Kane Williamson will be playing their 100th Test together against Australia in the 2nd and final game of the ongoing series.