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With over 15,000 international runs and 33 centuries, Adam Gilchrist made the lower order Australia's greatest strength. But do you know that the brilliant career of this legend who scored more than 15,000 runs ended just because of the feeling of a missed catch.
Adam Gilchrist took retirement from cricket because of a drop catch.
New Delhi. Many players come and go on the cricket field, but there are some who change the way the game is played. Australia's great wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist is one such name. He not only raised the standards of wicketkeeping, but also taught him the art of changing the course of the match by coming in at number seven as an explosive batsman.
Before Gilchrist, wicketkeepers were chosen primarily for their glove work alone. 'Gilli' destroyed this notion and showed that a wicketkeeper can also be the most dangerous batsman in the world. With over 15,000 international runs and 33 centuries, Adam Gilchrist made the lower order Australia's greatest strength. But do you know that the brilliant career of this legend who scored more than 15,000 runs ended just because of the feeling of a missed catch.
He takes a catch and decides to retire
The Adelaide Test of the 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was going on. India's legendary batsman VVS Laxman was at the crease. Meanwhile, Laxman missed an easy catch from Adam Gilchrist. For a player who had taken catches flying like birds in his career, this was not a simple mistake for him. Gilchrist realized at that very moment that his 'reflexes' (reaction time) had slowed down.
After the match, he told his teammate Matthew Hayden, “My time is up.” Gilchrist believed that if he is not able to give his 100 percent, then he has no right to be on the field. The guilt of missing a catch and the self-realization of his declining agility put a full stop to a 13-year golden career.
greatness in statistics
Adam Gilchrist's achievements are like a dream, he is among the few players who won three consecutive World Cups in 1999, 2003 and 2007. His innings of 149 runs against Sri Lanka in the 2007 final is still counted among the greatest innings in cricket history. He took a total of 905 dismissals (catches and stumpings) in more than 400 matches, which makes him the second most successful wicketkeeper in the world after Mark Boucher. Gilchrist was known for his habit of 'walking' (leaving the crease without waiting for the umpire's decision when out), which is rare in modern cricket.
Adam Gilchrist's retirement was the biggest proof of his sincerity towards the game. He said goodbye to cricket not because of the fear of losing, but because he did not want to compromise with the high standards he had set for himself. Even today, when there is talk of an 'ideal wicketkeeper-batsman', the first name that comes to mind is Adam Gilchrist. He was not just a cricketer, he was the backbone of the Australian era that ruled world cricket.
