IND vs BAN: R Ashwin emulates Tendulkar with back-to-back hundreds at Chepauk

IND vs BAN: R Ashwin racked up his second Test hundred at the Chepauk and continued his love affair with the iconic venue in Chennai.

In Short

• R Ashwin scored his sixth Test hundred
• Ashwin stayed not out on 102 off 112 balls
• Ashwin helped India finish Day 1 on 339 for 6

R Ashwin has emulated Sachin Tendulkar among the batters to have scored back-to-back hundreds in Test cricket at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The right-handed batter achieved the feat on Day 1 of the opening Test against Najmul Hossain Shanto's Bangladesh on Thursday, September 19.

Back in 2021, Ashwin notched his maiden Test hundred at home after he scored 106 in the second Test at the Chepauk against England. Tendulkar, on the other hand, has hundreds in three Tests in a row in Chennai (155* against Australia in 1998, 136 against Pakistan in 1999 and 126 against Australia in 2001).

Tendulkar holds the record for most Test hundreds at the Chepauk (5). Sunil Gavaskar is second with three centuries. Ashwin, Allan Border, Kapil Dev, Duleep Mendis, Virender Sehwag, Andrew Strauss and Gundappa Viswanath are the ones with two Test hundreds apiece at the Chepauk.

R Ashwin dominates Bangladesh

After being asked to bat first, India found themselves in trouble after being reduced to 144 for six in 42.2 overs. Hasan Mahmud ran through their top order with four wickets, putting India under immense pressure. From there on, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja joined hands and have built a partnership of 195 runs for the seventh wicket off 228 balls.

Ashwin looked fluent throughout his knock. He got to his fifty off 58 balls after which he brought up his century off 108 deliveries. At the close of play on the opening day, Ashwin stayed not out on 102 off 112 balls with 10 fours and two sixes.

Jadeja lent him support with an unbeaten 86 off 117 balls, laced with 10 fours and two sixes. The duo took India to 339 for six. Ashwin enjoys playing at the Chepauk, having racked up 331 runs from five matches until now at an average of 55.16.

Most Test hundreds at Chepauk

Here’s the table with the full names of the cricketers: