Adam Gilchrist

Name: Adam Gilchrist

D.O.B: 14 November 1971, Bellingen, NSW

Role: Wicket Keeper Batsman

Test Debut: Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane, 1st Test, 1999/00.

ODI Debut:Australia v South Africa at Faridabad, Titan Cup, 1996/97

Behind the three stumps at the batsman?s corner stands a handsome wicket-keeper who is a dangerous opening batsman and is currently one of the best wicket-keepers any team is having. Yes I am talking about none other than Australian Vice-Caption and wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist who is my favorite wicket keeper of all times.

Being a wicket-keeper is not all that easy because it involves more concentration than any other field position since you are continuously keeping track of the bowl from all the corners. And being a wicket keeper-opening batsman(ODI) is not that easy either since after the tiring job of keeping you need to go out and give your team a steady start or vice-versa. But Adam handles both the jobs very well. Now being Vice-Caption of Australia and in absence of Ricky leading the side is also a part of his job and he has done a fair job in that too.

How he got in the international arena:

In 1996, Adam was called upon to make-out for the injured Ian Healy in an ODI tri-series tournament on the sub-continent for Australia. He had already played for Australia at Under 19, Young Australia levels and Australia A. Gilchrist expressed surprise at his selection for Australia. He was then tagged as Australia?s next keeper, and after Healy was left out in 1997 Gilchrist was again called upon. This was his start of international career after which he had no looking back.

Actually Ian Healy being the favorite keeper of Aussie crowds for the initial matches Adam was booed upon. But then eventually he proved himself in the ODI?s. You can check out that his test debut was nearly after 3 years of his ODI debut. In 1997, the Australian selectors updated the One Day team to model with adaptable all-rounders and big-hitters. Healy, therefore was left only for Tests and dropped from the One-Day side. Being a blasting batsman had got Gilchrist in the Aussie team.

Gilchrist?s first game at home was against S.A. in Dec ?97. At first being playing at home and being booed and nervous it wasn?t really a good start for Adam and he was out for cheap scores for a few matches batting lower down the order. But then Steve Waugh put Adam to open the batting for the First Final against South Africa and he was still out for a cheap score. Then in the second final, he was given another chance and he made a maiden 100 off only 104 balls. He thus was established as an opener in ODI?s batting with Mark Waugh and now Matty Hayden.

Being set as an ODI player it was now time to turn to tests. But he had to wait for almost three years to get a Test Debut which occurred in December 1999 following the tours of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in 1999. Gilchrist just missed out on a maiden test century at debut against Pakistan at the Gabba yet the stage was set for his sparkling career in the 5 day game. In his next Test he played a super knock in the second Test against Pakistan in Hobart chasing 370 runs for victory. He finished unbeaten on 149 as he and Langer put together the magnificent stand for an unlikely victory.

His form continued throughout the Test series against India and the tour of New Zealand, and he eventually displaced Shane Warne as vice-captain of both the Test and ODI squads. Gilchrist captioned Aus against W.I. for the Test series with the W.I. in 2000/01and followed his excellent home summer with a century in the first Test against India in India. However he failed during the final 2 Test matches as Australia lost both and the series. His best series till date has been the 2002 SA series, where he hit the fastest double hundred (204*) at that time.

As a wicki well he hasn?t been disappointing as well. He has taken some very good catches and stumpings as well as run-outs. He is feared as one of the most deadliest batsman today who can hit sixes and fours in every corner of the ground. He has a strike rate of over 90 in ODI and over 80 in Tests which is amazing.

My favorite shots which Adam Gilchrist plays are the pull, the square cut, the sweep.

Concluding my rvu I see Adam Gilchrist as a future Aussie Caption and a great wicki and a dangerous ODI player as well.

Stats: Tests: