Ravichandran Ashwin picks his top five moments in Indian cricket history

With only a few hours left for the 500^th Test for Team India to commence, ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picks his five memorable moments in Indian cricket history.

Ashwin picked Kumble’s 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in 1999 as the greatest moment in Indian cricket history.

The 10-wicket haul by Kumble was a monumental achievement by the great leg-spinner, as he became the first Indian and only the 2^nd player to achieve this feat. India was 0-1 down in the series after their loss in Chennai but came back strongly to win the 2^nd Test. The feat achieved by Kumble on that day will remain one of the rarest moments in cricket history.

The off-spinner picked the 2001 Kolkata Test against Australia as the 2^nd best moment in Indian cricket. It was one of the most historic Test matches as India defeated Australia after being asked to follow-on.

VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid played the innings of their lives scoring 281 and 180 respectively. Chasing an improbable 384 to win, Australia surrendered meekly to Harbhajan Singh on the 5^th day to hand India a famous victory. India went on to clinch the series 2-1 after winning the final Test at Chennai.

The series win in England in 2007 under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid ranks 3^rd in Ashwin’s list. It was a series dominated by India, even though they were almost beaten in the first Test at Lord’s.

After surviving the initial hurdle, India gained from strength to strength and registered a memorable victory in the 2^nd Test at Trent Bridge. They should have won the 3^rd Test too, if Dravid had enforced a follow on. That didn’t happen, but India still won the series 1-0.

Ashwin chose the recent 3-0 victory against the Proteas as his 4^th best memorable moment. It was a series dominated by the Indian spinners as they ran through the star-studded Proteas line-up in the series.

The South Africans failed to find a way to counter Ashwin, Jadeja and Mishra and only a washout in the 2^nd Test at Bengaluru prevented a 4-0 drubbing of the then No.1 Test team in the world.

Finally, the 2-1 series win in Sri Lanka last year rounds up Ashwin’s memorable moments in Indian cricket. India failed to chase down 176 in the first Test and were severely jolted by veteran spinner Rangana Herath.

The Men in Blue came back strongly in the following two Tests, winning both of them quite comprehensively. The pacers were at their imperious best and were ably supported by Ashwin. The victory also marked India’s first series triumph in Sri Lanka in 22 years.