Adam Gilchrist is a former Australian captain and wicketkeeper-batsman.
The left-handed batsman, who was born in Bellingen on November 14, 1971, was the backbone of Australia’s national team until his retirement.
In 2012, he was inducted into the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame, and in 2013, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
Gilchrist received the Allan Border Award in 2003 and was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2002.
Gilchrist was the spearhead of the mighty Australian team as they reigned supreme, earning the distinction of “World’s Scariest Batsman” in a poll of international bowlers in 2004.
The veteran player has also featured for the ICC World XI, Deccan Chargers, Middlesex, Kings XI Punjab, New South Wales, Rest of the World XI, and Australian Legends XI, among others.
Background
Since his youth in the coastal suburbs of New South Wales, ‘Gilly’ has been a huge fan of the game.
At the age of 20, Gilchrist was selected for the Australian Young Cricketers, a national youth team.
On his debut tour of England, Gilchrist showed his outstanding ability by scoring a century and a fifty.
Gilchrist was given a place in the Australian Cricket Academy upon his return.
Gilchrist made his senior domestic debut for New South Wales in the 1992-93 season.
His unbeaten 20 in the second innings helped Queensland to a comfortable victory in the final.
Gilchrist later joined Western Australia’s staff in 1994. In his first season, he had the most first-class dismissals of any wicket-keeper in Australian domestic cricket in 1994–95, with 55.
Gilchrist finished the 1997–98 season as the league’s leading dismissal leader for the fourth year in a row.
He rapidly developed himself as a devastating and dependable batsman, in addition to his superb glovework.
In the 1998 season, Gilchrist scored his first first-class double century, an undefeated 203 against South Australia.
Gilchrist appeared in 356 List-A games, accumulating 11,326 runs, 526 catches, and 65 stumpings.
Debut
Gilchrist made his One-Day International debut against South Africa in the Titan Cup in 1996. He scored 18 runs off 36 balls and was a part of three dismissals, but Australia lost by two wickets.
Gilchrist made his Test debut in the home season of 1999, and he made an instant impression with a fine 81 against Pakistan. He was also a part of the game’s total of 7 dismissals.
Rise to the Glory
Gilchrist made a marathon innings of 149 against Pakistan in Hobart in just his second Test, and was part of a 238-run sixth-wicket partnership with Justin Langer.
Gilchrist’s Test cricket highlights include a devastating double century against South Africa in 2001, when he scored 204 off just 213 deliveries, then the fastest double hundred in Test cricket history.
Gilchrist didn’t merely deflect attacks; he subjugated them. In 2001, his 122 against India lifted Australia from a shambolic 99/5 to a 173-run lead.
His 57-delivery Ashes century in Perth in 2001 was a visual treat. In one-day internationals, his 172 points are the third-highest by an Australian, and his 472 dismissals would take decades to equal.
Gilly laid the foundations for Australia’s World Cup success in 2003. He was also the most effective wicketkeeper in the tournament, with 21 dismissals.
Gilchrist’s 149 runs off 104 balls in the 2007 World Cup final, including 13 fours and eight big sixes, was the highest individual score in a finals ever, surpassing his captain Ricky Ponting’s 140 in the previous World Cup final.
As a Captain
During Gilchrist’s leadership, the Australian team scaled new heights. Gilchrist accomplished what Steve Waugh’s all-conquering band in 2001 struggled to do. For the first time in 35 years, Australia defeated India to reach the final frontier.
In 17 One-Day Internationals, six Tests, and two Twenty-20 Internationals, he was the captain of the side. In Studies, he has a winning percentage of 66.67, and in T20Is, he has a winning percentage of 50. His best stats come in one-day internationals, where he led Australia to victory in 12 of 17 matches, with one match ending in a draw.
Club Career
He kept entertaining his fans by being a well-known face of the lucrative Indian league, the IPL. Deccan Chargers captured the second edition of the tournament held in South Africa under Gilchrist’s competent leadership.
After that, he played for Kings XI Punjab in the fourth edition for a cool $900,000. He scored 294 runs at a strike rate of 128.38 in his final IPL season. However, the squad could not grant their captain a proper send-off, ending sixth in the league.
Retirement
In 2008, he played his last Test against India in the fourth and final Test of the series. In a tie game, he scored 14 runs. He played 96 Tests in his career, scoring 5,570 runs and catching 379 balls.
He played his final ODI against India two months later. In 287 ODIs, he scored 9,619 runs and contributed to 417 dismissals from behind the wickets.