India, Jan. 31 -- The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series has witnessed some of the most iconic individual rivalries in Test cricket. In the modern era, one of them was between Australia's Steve Smith and former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The 11-year-long battle ended with the Adelaide pink ball Test last December, after which the Indian announced his retirement from international cricket. But having emerged on top in the contest, Ashwin opened up about his obsession, which had left his wife Prithi "concerned."

The rivalry began in 2013, with Ashwin having dismissed Smith only once in 355 balls across two series, during which the latter scored 216 runs. However, the Indian eventually cracked the cod, after which there was no looking ba...