Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated R Ashwin after the spinner reached the landmark of 500 Test wickets on day two of the third Test against England on Friday, February 16.

The Prime Minister posted a statement on his official X account, saying that Ashwin’s journey and accomplishments are a testament to his skill and perseverance.

“Congratulations to Ravichandran Ashwin on the extraordinary milestone of taking 500 Test wickets! His journey and accomplishments are testament to his skill and perseverance. My best wishes to him as he scales further peaks.@ashwinravi99,” said PM Modi on X.

R Ashwin’s memorable day in Rajkot

Ashwin had a wonderful day with both bat and ball in Rajkot on day two of the third Test. Coming into bat after India lost two wickets early on, he stitched together a calculated 77-run partnership with Dhruv Jurel to ensure India went past the 400-run mark.

Ashwin scored 37 as India would end up with 445 runs to end their innings. India would once again turn to the off-spinner for inspiration as they needed to break the opening stand between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley.

Ashwin had started to check the run flow when Crawley decided to go for a sweep shot. The effort was mistimed and went straight to the fielder as Ashwin became the second Indian to get to the landmark of 500 wickets.

The Indian spinner would go on to dedicate the achievement to his father, who has been a constant support for him over the years.

“It has been quite a long journey. I’d like to dedicate the 500th wicket to my father. He has been through the thick and thing of everything I’ve been through in my life… he has been a constant support for me. 500 wickets is done and dusted now. We’ve got a game hanging in the balance,” Ashwin said.