SOUL OF SPIN SAYS GOODBYE

The spinner who once called himself 'an engineer who became a cricketer' and helped India erect their fortress at home calls it quits

On their trips to India, visiting cricket teams can rest easy now. They will no longer be running into a bowler who would seemingly just turn up and take wickets for fun. R Ashwin stymied them with changes of angle, pace, delivery stride and just about anything else you could think of to carve a spot for himself among the greatest to have played this game.

Since November 6, 2011 when Ashwin made his Test debut-India have amassed the best home record in the world.

An unearthly win/loss ratio of 5.222 made it the toughest country in the world to tour.

In this period, India won 47 off the 65 matches they played. Nine were drawn and just nine were lost. There are, of course, many reasons for this record - for a while Virat Kohli's batting hit an unmatched high and everything else seemed to be falling in place as well.

But the biggest reason for this crazy shift was R Ashwin. The offspinner, who announced his retirement from international cricket on As MAC IN AUS Wednesday, took 303 wickets in those 47 wins at home, at an average of 18.16. In the nine matches India lost, his average was 33.88. These numbers are extraordinary and give you a true glimpse into his genius.