Only six men in the 137-year history of Test cricket have taken eight wickets or more in their debut innings. The most recent addition to that list was Jason Krejza, whose brief international career included two Tests, a World Cup and the wickets of Rahul Dravid, Hashim Amla and VVS Laxman, amongst others. Today, six years after his memorable debut in Nagpur, Krejza looks back on his career and explains why, at the age of just 31, he has decided to retire.

Jason Krejza managed to achieve a lot for a man whose Test career included only two matches and spanned just 41 days.

One of several Australian spinners in the post Shane Warne era to be tried and then quickly discarded, Krejza's match figures of 12-358 against India in Nagpur were not only the second-best figures by an Australian on Test debut, and the fourth best of any debutant, they were also the second-most expensive of all time.

Which, in some ways, came as no surprise given he was bowling to a batting line-up that boasted the names Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman and Dhoni.

Having been targeted in a tour match against an Indian President's XI just a month earlier – he finished with match figures 0-199 from 31 overs as a 19-year-old Virat Kohli scored a century – Krejza knew that he would be in for more punishment when he got a late call-up to Australia's XI for the fourth Test.

But, as he often was during his career, the off-spinner was more than willing to buy his wickets.

"It knew it was going to come at some expense," Krejza told cricket.com.au.

"They were trying to take me down, which I knew they would because they did it in the trial game.

"They were trying to tear our spinners apart.

"I knew I had to take wickets because the quicks weren't going that well. The pitch was flat.

"I got hit for 30-odd off my first three overs ... and I was running into the circle and I heard (captain) Ricky Ponting say to Michael Clarke, 'What should we do?'.

"And Clarke said: 'Just keep bowling him and keep backing him'.

"I heard that and I thought, 'Right, I'm just going to settle in here, set the fields that I want to set and see what happens'.

"I was going leak a few runs here and there, but as long as I was able to bowl balls that would take wickets ... I'd take a few."

And take a few he did.

Not just any wickets, but those of India's modern batting legends, who had terrorised Australia's spinners for years.

Rahul Dravid was first to go, caught at bat pad from one that turned and bounced. Virender Sehwag was next, bowled as he tried to cut a ball that turned sharply from outside off stump.

By the time India's innings ended in the second session on day two, Krejza had added the wickets of VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni. All of them came at a cost – he conceded 25 fours and two sixes in the innings – but he almost always had the final say.

His figures of 8-215 could have been even better had Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson not both dropped centurion Sachin Tendulkar off his bowling.

"I could have had nine and I would have got Sachin, which would have been pretty cool," Krejza said with a laugh.

"But then I bowled well in the second innings as well. It wasn't just that first innings; I think I bowled just as well in the second."

Four more wickets came in the second innings, those of Laxman, Ganguly, Dhoni and Zaheer Khan, at a cost of 143 runs.

The dismissal of Laxman was particularly memorable, with the ball drifting away from the right-hander, pitching at least the width of four stumps outside off, turning back through the gate and knocking leg stump out of the ground.

"That was ridiculous," Krejza says. "I don't think I've ever bowled a ball like that in my life."

Having accepted the man-of-the-match award in Australia's 172-run loss, Krejza was, incredibly, overlooked for their next Test, against New Zealand in Brisbane two weeks later.

He then injured his ankle and missed the match against the Black Caps in Adelaide, before earning a recall to face South Africa in Perth.

The wicket of Hashim Amla – bowled through the gate – was the only joy for Krejza as he finished with match figures of 1-204 from 49 overs, as the Proteas chased down 414 for victory on the final day.

And with that, Krejza's Test career was over.

And save for a late call-up to Australia's unsuccessful 2011 World Cup campaign in India, which Krejza says was an "unbelievable experience" despite a frustrating tournament, his time in international cricket was over as well.

"Was I unlucky? Who knows," Krejza says as he ponders the abrupt end to his Test career.

"I know what Australian cricket was going for at the time.

"They were rotating spinners quite a lot, trying to find something that they liked and maybe the attacking type of bowler I was didn't suit the team at the time, I'm not sure.

"I wish I'd had more opportunities, but I've still got the Baggy Green and they can't take it away.

"I was lucky to have that opportunity so I don't want to complain too much."

If Krejza's exit from the Test side seemed rapid, his departure from the domestic game was just as sudden.

He was axed by Tasmania at the end of the 2012-13 season, two matches after he'd scored his maiden Sheffield Shield century, and decided to move back to his home state of NSW.

Now the head coach and soon-to-be owner of Elite Cricket, a Sydney-based coaching program that aims to develop players at all levels, the 31-year-old has publically declared for the first time that his professional cricket career is over.

"I'm officially retiring because my body's been no good," he said.

"I had too many operations, the body went a bit south and I never got the feeling of bowling like I was at my best because my body didn't allow it.

"(I've had) seven hip operations, seven knee operations ... and I had shin splints in both shins as well.

"My body was getting to a point where it was screaming at me.

"Every year I had to have a hip operation to fix myself to play again. That was my view of normal.

"As soon as the season finished I would have a scan, have an operation, have three months of recovery and play again.

"I thought that's what I have to do, but then I realised that's not what I have to do.

"It was probably a blessing in disguise (that Tasmania dropped me).

"I got to move back to Sydney and be closer to Mum and Dad and my mates."

Krejza is this summer playing grade cricket for Sydney club Mosman and, without the pressure of the professional game, he says he's bowling better than he has in years.

And despite calling time on his career long before he would have hoped for, he's relishing life as an ex-player.

"I'm actually enjoying not having the stress of playing, selections etcetera ... (But) I could have done a lot of things a lot better," he says.

"I could have trained harder, could have done this and that, but that's the way it happened.

"I know that I've played for Australia, I know that I got to the level that I wanted to get to.

"I wanted to be there longer, but that was in my hands. It wasn't out of my hands completely because if I'd taken more wickets I might still be there.

"But I've got no regrets and I'm enjoying life after cricket at the moment.

"People do come out of retirement, so you never know.

"I wouldn't mind just playing Big Bash cricket here and there, but even that would interfere with my business concerns.

"So the smartest thing to do for me is to hang them up, enjoy playing grade cricket and hopefully teach more young cricketers to get to international level."