Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist Biography

Adam Gilchrist is an Australian wicket-keeper-batsman and former renowned captain.

Born on 14 November 1971 in Bellingen, the left handed batsman has been the spine of national team of Australia till his retirement.

He was Inducted in Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 2012 and in ICC Hall of Fame in 2013.

Gilchrist was adjudged Wisden Cricketer of the year in 2002 and won Allan Border medal in 2003.

With the titles of “World’s Scariest Batsman”, earned in a poll of international bowlers in 2004, Gilchrist was the spearhead of mighty Australian team when they reigned supreme.

The veteran player was also the part of some very prominent teams around the world, such as ICC World XI, Deccan Chargers, Middlesex, Kings XI Punjab, New South Wales, Rest of the World XI, Australian Legends XI.

Background

Born in the coastal outskirts of New South Wales, ‘Gilly’ was very passionate about the game since his childhood.

Gilchrist was picked for the Australian Young Cricketers at the age of 20, a national youth team.

Gilchrist gave the glimpse of his exceptional talent by scoring a century and a fifty on his debut tour to England.

Upon his return, Gilchrist was rewarded with a place in Australian Cricket Academy.

Gilchrist made his senior domestic debut in 1992-93 season while playing for New South Wales.

His unbeaten 20 in the second innings contributed to secure an easy win over Queensland in the final.

Later Gilchrist started playing for Western Australia in 1994. He made 55 first-class dismissals in his first season, the most by any wicket-keeper in Australian domestic cricket in 1994–95.

The 1997–98 season ended with Gilchrist at the top of the dismissals chart for the fourth season in a row.

Along with the brilliant glove-work, he soon established himself as a destructive and reliable batsman as well.

Gilchrist registered his maiden first class double century with an unbeaten 203 against South Australia in the 1998 season.

Gilchrist played a total of 356 List-A matches and amassed 11,326 runs along with 526 catches and 65 stumpings.

Debut

Gilchrist made his ODI debut in 1996 in a close crucial game against South Africa in Titan Cup. He made 18 runs off 36 and was a part of 3 dismissals but eventually Aussies lost by 2 wickets.

Making a rather late Test debut in the home season of 1999, Gilchrist created an immediate impact by scoring a fine 81 against Pakistan. He was also the part of total 7 dismissals of the game.

Rise to the Glory

In just his second Test, Gilchrist scored a marathon innings of 149 against Pakistan at Hobart, and was involved in a 238 run partnership for the 6th wicket with Justin Langer.

Some of Gilchrist’s special knocks in Test cricket also include a destructive double century against South Africa in 2001, his 204 coming from just 213 balls, then the quickest double ton in Test cricket.

Gilchrist not just blunted attacks, he dominated them to submission. His 122 against the hosts India in 2001 lifted Australia from a shambolic 99/5 to a lead of 173 runs.

His 57-delivery Ashes 2001 century at Perth was a feast for the eyes. In ODIs, his 172 is the third-highest score by an Australian and his 472 dismissals might take decades to top.

Gilly laid the foundation for Australia's triumph in the 2003 World Cup. He was also the competition's most successful wicketkeeper, making 21 dismissals.

In 2007 World Cup, Gilchrist went on to score 149 runs off 104 balls with 13 fours and 8 huge sixes, the highest individual score in a finals ever, overshadowing his captain Ricky Ponting's 140 of the previous World Cup final.

As a Captain

Australian team reached new heights in Gilchrist’s tenure. Gilchrist achieved what even the all-conquering team of 2001, led by Steve Waugh failed. Australia beat India to conquer the final frontier for the first time in 35 years.

He led the team in 17 ODIs, 6 Tests and 2 T20Is. His winning percentage in Tests is 66.67 and 50 in T20I. His best stats are in ODIs as he led Aussies to victory in 12 out of 17 matches with 1 match ended in no result.

Club Career

He continued to entertain his fans by being a popular face of the cash rich Indian league - IPL. Under the able leadership of Gilchrist, Deccan Chargers won the 2nd edition of the tournament played in South Africa.

He then turned out for Kings XI Punjab in the 4th edition for whooping US$900,000. In his last season in IPL, he made 294 runs at a decent strike-rate of 128.38. However, the team didn’t gave a justified farewell to their captain as they finished 6th in the table.

Retirement

In 2008, the 4th and final Test of the series against India, was his last Test. He made 14 runs in a drawn match. In his career, he played 96 Tests in which he scored 5,570 runs and took 379 catches.

2 months later he played his last ODI against India. He made 9,619 runs and was a part of 417 dismissals from behind the wickets, in 287 ODIs.