Ashwin hit 106 and took a key wicket on Monday to edge India closer to victory in the second Test against England, who face a daunting target of 482 to win.
The tourists, who lead the four-match series 1-0, were struggling at 53/3 at stumps on the third day in Chennai.
Showing how to bat and bowl on this pitch: Reactions to Ashwin’s superb century in Chennai
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Dan Lawrence, on 19, and skipper Joe Root, on two, will resume batting Tuesday on the turning pitch.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel took two wickets including Dom Sibley, for three, and Jack Leach, who was sent in as nightwatchman, for nought.
Following up on his five wickets in the first innings, Ashwin got Rory Burns caught at slip for 25 to take his match tally to six.
Ashwin’s fifth Test hundred — a gutsy 106 off 148 balls — along with Virat Kohli’s near flawless 62 off 149 balls got India to a more than decent 286 in 85.5 overs, leaving England with an improbable target of 482 runs on a dust bowl.
“I will sleep well through the night, that is all that I am thinking,” Ashwin, the star of the day, said after stumps, adding that he practised the sweep shot repeatedly in the lead up to this match, having not played it since his teenage days.
“I don’t know what the team is feeling like but I am sure they are thrilled.”
It would take nothing short of a miracle for England to bat for two days and save the match, while the target to achieve will have to be a world record.
Even their resolute captain Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood wouldn’t be optimistic on a track where exploding divots are making it extremely difficult to bat.
Spinners Moeen Ali and Jack Leach claimed four wickets each.
England have been battling to avoid defeat since a first innings collapse on the second day, and will have to mount a record run chase to secure a miracle victory.
The Chennai-born Ashwin survived reprieves on 28, 56 and 70 runs. He then got to his hundred with an edge to the boundary, which was met by loud cheers from the home crowd. He put on a 96-run seventh-wicket stand with skipper Virat Kohli, who made 62 before falling to Ali’s off spin.
Ashwin got help from number 11 Mohammed Siraj to get to his century as they put on 49 runs for the final wicket. Olly Stone bowled Ashwin to end India’s innings.
If Rohit Sharma set it up with a classy day one hundred, Ashwin and Kohli came together to put England in the tightest of corners.
Till the ball remained hard, England got three quick wickets leaving India in a spot at 65/44 but Kohli again seemed in a mood to make batting look easy. He displayed defensive elegance, coming close to the pitch of the ball to take an off-stump guard in order to negate turn.
There were seven boundaries, mostly drives and in Ashwin he found an able ally. They added 96 runs in 177 balls, a partnership that deflated England completely.
Ashwin relied on shots square of the wicket and left Kohli with the job of grafting, taking it upon himself to attack the England bowling.
(With PTI and AFP inputs)