Steve Waugh, the former Australian skipper observes that the retirement of Adam Gilchrist from Test Cricket "was as much of a surprise for me as it was for his many admirers across the world. However the timing was perfect for a keeper-batsman who contineously raised standards not only for others around the world but also for him." As a fan of the Australian team, especially Adam in the world of Cricket (Argentina in Football), I can feel the vacuum that lies after his retirement.
Revolution in wicket-keeping
"I remember the one-dayer when I first made Adam open. We were not having much joy in the C&U Series of 1998 and I was looking for a spark of inspiration in the finals against South Africa.On a hunch, I sent him to open. Success was almost immediate because he scored a century in the second final itself.That was the moment when the asking rate went up for wicketkeepers around the world. No longer was it enough for them to just pass muster when it came to batting-they now had to be counted as batsmen" recalls Steve Waugh.
Kumar Sangakkara, Mark Boucher, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Brendon McCullum are all the result of the revolution that Adam Gilchrist brought about to wicket-keeping. According to Steve Waugh, "While most have impressed in patchness, none has replicated Adam's consistency in scoring and more impotantly in relentless attack." Adam was part of the Australian cricket team through both the 16-Test winning streaks.
The departure of Warne, Glen McGrath and now Adam Gilchrist will make it harder for Australia to win consistency. But they still have great control of the game with Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Bret Lee and Andrew Symonds. However, the aura that this team possessed seems to have diminished slightly and oppositions will begin to fancy their chances. The Australian team is still far from beatable but the wins will be harder to come by. Historically, as each team has a cycle, the Australian generation next has to prove inorder to maintain status quo.
As a left-handed batsman in Cricket, I'm a fan of this Aussie who is also a lefty. I will surely miss his strokes. But with God's grace, I hope I'll see him in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Waiting for the blast!!!
References
Steve Waugh(2008), "Great timing, Gilly", Hindustan times, New Delhi,29 January 2008,p.21.
"The timing was perfect for Gilchrist", The Hindu, Delhi, 29 January 2008,p.18.
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