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Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will go down in history as one of India’s greatest players after retiring from international cricket at the age of 38 on Wednesday.

India’s top bowler has been central to Test dominance over the last decade with his ability to outwit top batsmen.

Since making his debut in 2011 against the West Indies in New Delhi, Ashwin has finished 106 Tests with 537 wickets.

He was also more than useful with the bat.

Described by his Test captain Rohit Sharma as the “best of all time”, Ashwin earlier this year became only the ninth bowler to reach 500 Test wickets and only the second from India after Anil Kumble (619).

He also played 116 one-day and 65 Twenty20 internationals.

Ashwin walked into the sunset after the drawn third Test against Australia in Brisbane.

He was visibly touched when he was hugged by Virat Kohli in the dressing room.

“There is something left in me as a cricketer but I would like to exploit it at the national and club levels,” Ashwin told reporters.

“I had a lot of fun and a lot of memories.”

He was not selected for Brisbane in his final Test in Adelaide last week, where he took 1-53 and India were soundly beaten by 10 wickets.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir paid tribute to a player who he said would be greatly missed.

“The privilege of watching you grow from a young bowler to a legend of modern cricket is something I wouldn’t trade for the world,” Gambhir wrote on social media.

Teammate Kohli said he enjoyed “every part of the journey” with the bowler.

“Your skills and match-winning contribution to Indian cricket are unmatched and you will always be remembered as a legend of Indian cricket,” Kohli said.

Ashwin, who hails from the southern city of Chennai, started out as an IT engineer after graduating from university and is known for his precision.

The innovative Ashwin always worked on his craft, even after his skill and cunning led to a brilliant international career.

In the third Test against England at Rajkot in February, he reached the 500-wicket mark when he dismissed Zak Crawley.

Ashwin, a masterful craftsman, utilized the full width of the crease while delivering his off-spin from multiple angles at different paces.

He also had a deceptive “arm ball” that goes straight and worked on developing a “carrom ball” that goes the other way and is performed with his ankles.

But his sometimes blunt, no-nonsense attitude has occasionally caused controversy, such as when he inflicted runouts on non-striker ‘Mankad’.

Ashwin was part of India’s 50-over World Cup win at home in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013, but it was only three years later that he matured into a top bowler.

He took 48 wickets in eight Tests and had 27 victims in 19 Twenty20 matches in the 2015-16 season to be named ICC Cricketer of the Year.

Ashwin finished the Test with 37 five-wicket Test hauls, with a best of 7-59.

Ashwin enjoyed a healthy rivalry with his Australian counterpart Nathan Lyon, who had 533 Test wickets in 132 matches.

“He is a world-class bowler and someone I have watched closely since the start of his career,” Lyon said.

Starting off as a batsman who bowled medium-pace before switching to off-spin, Ashwin described himself as an “accidental spinner”.

“I wanted to be a batsman all along. “Life gave me a chance,” he once said.

Ashwin has shared how he first got a chance to shine as a spinner while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

The all-time leading wicket-taker, Muttiah Muralitharan, had refused to use the new ball, so it was given to him instead – and the rest was history.

The all-rounder also has 3,503 Test runs – including six centuries – in the middle and lower order, with a career best of 124.

He formed a strong spin partnership with Ravindra Jadeja and became the most successful pair for India in Tests.