Adam Gilchrist

The role of a wicket-keeper batsman primarily included keeping duties with the runs scored by the gloveman deemed as a bonus. All that changed with the arrival of Adam Gilchrist who revolutionized the role forever. A dasher of a batsman who could destroy the best of bowlers, he was also a terrific keeper against both pace and spin. Such was his effectiveness that Australia considered him as a genuine all-rounder. While in Tests, 'Gilly' used to wreck havoc in the lower middle order at number seven, in ODIs he opened the innings to take full toll of the fielding restrictions. With Matthew Hayden, he formed an inflammable opening pair, often getting Australia off to rollicking starts. The advent of Gilchrist certainly rewrote perceptions of a wicket-keeper batsman like never before.

Gilchrist first represented Australia in ODIs, primarily as a back up to the evergreen Ian Healy who was starting to age at that point. Gilly's superior batting skills allowed him to play as a pure batter as well, albeit for a handful of games as Australia phased out Healy successfully with a successor ready to take over. After starting out in the middle order, Gilchrist was made the opener in 1998 and the rest as they say, is history. He was extremely flamboyant at the top and generated momentum in the early overs for the side. Apart from being a fluent shot-maker, he was also fairly consistent and this along with his keeping credentials made him a priceless asset for the side. Gilly's ODI success saw him eventually making it to the Test side in 1999 and the progress continued there as well.

The year 1999 was not only significant for him due to his Test debut, he also had a phenomenal year in ODIs, racking up more than 1200 runs in the calendar year. He was also part of the World Cup-winning Australian side. In Tests too, he was churning out iconic knocks including the famous Hobart run chase that year when he, along with Justin Langer, conducted an absolute heist to take Australia over the line in a big run chase. A fierce cutter and puller of the ball, Gilchrist often picked the length very early and was severe on anything loose, irrespective of the match situation. This intent of his put pressure on the best of bowlers.

Gilchrist entered rare club of players to have won the World Cup thrice as Australia followed up their 1999 triumph with titles in 2003 and 2007 as well. He was a big match player and performed in all the three finals, the third being the most notable of them all as he absolutely bludgeoned a clueless Sri Lankan attack to all parts of the ground to virtually seal the deal at the innings break itself. The 2007-08 season saw Gilchrist being plagued by injuries and although he was still doing a good job, particularly in ODIs, he decided to retire from international cricket in 2008. It was a classical case for a player knowing his body properly and timing his decision perfectly without any compulsion.

Despite retiring from international cricket, Gilchrist continued to shine as the IPL was born in the same year that he quit international cricket. His fluid strokeplay was always ahead of the era he played in and as a result, he adjusted to the T20 format with elan. He had played a few games for Australia in the shortest format and was among the rare players from his era who were able to adapt with ease. In the IPL, he was successful not only as a batsman but also as a leader who was adorable and admirable. Gilchrist led the Deccan Chargers outfit to the IPL title in 2009 and even led Kings XI Punjab later on albeit without the same success. Irrespective of the results, Gilchrist as a captain was fantastic in man-management and tactics.

Arguably amongst the most loved Australians to ever play the game, Gilchrist was as aggressive as they come on the cricket field. However, the rapport he established with opposition players off the field made him a likeable character. The advent of the IPL saw this quality of his going up another notch as he mingled selflessly with the rookie Indian talents and helped to mold them into better players. After the 2013 season, Gilchrist decided to quit from all forms of the game. The decision, much like his international retirement, came when he was still in good rhythm but that defined the man. He didn't bother about dragging himself and always promptly decided to leave when he felt he must. A game-changer of another level, Gilchrist was arguably Australia's biggest impact player during their golden era. Like many of his Aussie teammates, he has also taken to TV commentary.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan