Gilchrist - The Aussie Who Walks, The Aussie I Like

Test cricket wont be the same from hereafter. Because one of the greatest entertainers of Test cricket wont wield the bat again or wear the gloves for another test match. The greatest wicket keeper-batsman ever, Adam Gilchrist has called it a day. Gilchrist, affectionately called as "Gilly" by his teammates and friends, is one of the greatest the game has ever seen. As Steve Waugh, his former captain has pointed out, Gilchrist is perhaps the greatest all rounder ever, second only to Sir Garfield Sobers.

Adam Gilchrist was born in 1971 at Bellingen, New South Wales and made his first class debut for the New South Wales Blues in the 1992-93 season. In 1994 he joined the Western Warriors in Western Australia and thus made the bouncier pitch of WACA, Perth as his home ground. He made his ODI debut in the year 1996 against South Africa at Faridabad and made his test debut against Pakistan in 1999 at the Gabba, Brisbane. He was also part of the three consecutive World Cup winning team of Australia in 1999, 2003 and 2007. He has played 96 tests with a batting average of 47.60 and 416 dismissals and in the shorter version of the game; he has played 277 matches with a batting average of 36.03 and 454 dismissals.

Let us set aside the records made by this great cricketer because it is not the main reason why we love and respect this Aussie. Instead its the way in which he has played this sport and the way in which he has conducted himself on a cricket field, especially in a team which goes out to any extend of abhorrence to win a game of cricket, which makes us revere this one-of-the-kind cricketer.. It is only the strength of his personality and the grace of his family upbringing that he is able to show such great degree of integrity and honesty in this highly competitive sport. This flamboyant southpaw, known as "The Aussie who walks", after his famous walk in the 2003 World Cup Semi finals against Sri Lanka when he edged the ball to the wicket keeper and went off before the umpire giving him out, declared openly that he is a walker and reignited the debate in the cricket world about walking. His stature grew in the eyes of the cricket lovers after this incident and he got more popular and became the role model of a whole generation in Australia and outside. He is one example that shows the whole world that you can be honest as well as successful in the modern competitive world. His "walking" together with his stupendous sportsmanship made him one of the most respected Aussie players even among his opponents. It is one of the ironies of this game that his candid behavior in upholding moral righteousness during cricket matches landed him in some trouble also.

The awards and recognitions that he has received are true evidences of the talent and skills this great cricketer possess. He was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the year for 2002, he was the wicketkeeper in Richie Benaud's Greatest XI, he was voted as the ‘world scariest batsman’ by a poll conducted among the international bowlers and in a poll of over ten thousand people hosted in 2007 by Cricinfo, he was voted the ninth greatest all-rounder of the last one hundred years.

It is certainly a sad truth that this swashbuckling batsmen wont be available again in the test match arena and pretty soon will finish his international career, but the legacy that he has left behind will be alive always - may it be the way he batted or may it be the spirit in which he has played the game or of course, his "walking." We Indians, it seems, are lucky enough to see more of him as he is joining the Indian Premier League soon and that would be something that I, being a passionate cricket follower and an ardent Adam Gilchrist fan, look forward to. His blitzkrieg with the willow is certainly something that would keep one glued to the television screens while he is on song and his sincere and honest sportsmanship is something that is worth emulating, not only for the sports-persons but for all human beings involved in the highly competitive game called life. He is the only Aussie who walks and he is the only Aussie that I like, I admire and I desire to follow. You are a gem Gilly, a real gem.