In the fifth game of the current Test series between India and England, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal of India continued his incredible success, scoring his fourth half-century of his career at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday. In the process of getting the knock, Jaiswal not only hit the 1000-run mark in the format but also tied the coveted record held by the legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.

After Vinod Kambli (14), Jaiswal became the second-quickest Indian (16 innings) to reach 1000 runs in Test cricket with a boundary against Shoaib Bashir in the 15th over of India’s innings. On the other hand, Jaiswal, who is making his ninth appearance for India, has eclipsed both Gavaskar and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have each played 11 Test matches, to become the quickest player in the country to achieve this milestone.

However, overall, Sir Don Bradman (7) continues to top the record, with Everton Weekes, Herbert Sutcliffe, and George Headley tied for second place.

The 22-year left-hander batter is now the fourth-youngest Indian hitter to score 1000 Test runs, after Sachin Tendulkar (19 years, 217 days), Kapil Dev (21 years, 27 days), and Ravi Shastri (21 years, 197 days).

A few overs later, Jaiswal became the first and only other Indian since Gavaskar to achieve 700 runs in a single bilateral Test series after hitting another pair of consecutive boundaries against Bashir. The former captain of India has accomplished this feat twice in his career, once against the West Indies on a tour during his debut series in 1971 (scoring 774 runs) and again at home in 1978/79 (scoring 732 runs).

Meanwhile, India’s first-innings deficit on Day 1 at Dharamsala was reduced to just 83 runs thanks to Jaiswal’s fifty and captain Rohit Sharma’s undefeated 52. The hosts stood at 135 for 1 at stumps.

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is set to end his IPL career after playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, in the 2024 season. This IPL edition, which is set to start on March 22, is likely to be the Indian batter’s last season.

Karthik, 38, will also make a final decision soon on his retirement from international cricket after playing his last IPL.

This 2024 edition will be his last IPL. Karthik will decide on his international retirement after the IPL, a BCCI source told PTI.

In the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Karthik played for India. However, he has been an important player of the RCB team for the past two seasons, having been bought for 5.5 crore at that year’s auctions.

Karthik began his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils, which is now known as Delhi Capitals. He was among a group of seven players who have played every season of the IPL since it began in 2008. This group includes MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, and Manish Pandey. Karthik’s record is even more impressive as he has missed only two matches in 16 seasons.

In 2015, Royal Challengers Bangalore signed him for Rs. 10.5 crore. After that, he played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017 before spending four seasons with the Kolkata Knight Riders. He led the KKR to the IPL playoffs in 2018 and helped them finish fifth in the points table in 2019.

As Dinesh Karthik prepares to bid adieu to cricket as a player, he has already embarked on a second career. While still playing in 2021, Karthik began working as a pundit for broadcasting. He made his debut as a commentator during the inaugural World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, and later worked for “The Hundred.” Karthik is now an established broadcaster and is currently providing commentary for the India-England Test series.

At the HPCA stadium in Dharamshala, seasoned Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is playing in his 100th Test match for India. In addition, the 37-year-old recently became the fastest Indian bowler to take 500 Test wickets, shattering the mark held by Anil Kumble.

When Ravichandran Ashwin took the field for his team in the fifth and final Test match against England in Dharamsala, he became the 14th Indian player to play 100 Test matches.

Head coach Rahul Dravid facilitated him with a cap, where the entire team and Ashwin’s wife Prithi and his daughters joined him to commemorate the momentous occasion.

He addressed all the Indian players and gave Devdutt Paddikal his debut cap. As the fifth Test against England got underway, the seasoned spinner was also accorded a guard of honour.

Ashwin has become a member of the elite group of players who have represented India in at least 100 Test matches. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, and Cheteshwar Pujara are among those on the list.

Since making his debut for India against the West Indies in 2011, the off-spinner has been an important part of the team’s bowling attack. With an average of 26.5 and a strike rate of 53.9 in 99 Test matches, Ashwin has claimed 507 wickets.

By taking a fifer in his 100th Test match, Ashwin will have the opportunity to enter the ranks of legendary cricketers like Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, and Muttiah Muralidharan. It is remarkable because Ashwin had claimed his first five-wicket haul in his maiden encounter against the West Indies, and it would be an incredible achievement if he could secure another fifer in his 100th Test match.

In addition to Ravichandran Ashwin, Jonny Bairstow of England is participating in his 100th Test match for the national team.