Newly retired Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist looks forward to making his mark in the next round of IPL.
Adam Gilchrist fits the bill as a once-in-a-generation type of cricketer. He is arguably the greatest wicket-keeper batsman of all time, and has probably redefined the role of wicket-keeper in the game of cricket.
Almost nine months into his retirement from international cricket, Gilchrist has now got associated with something he missed out on because of cricket — education. As an ambassador for the University of Woollongong’s new initiative, the Innovation Campus, he is looking to play his part in convincing Indian corporates to come to his homeland and set up businesses.
On a busy four-day trip to India, he says that he is happy to be away from the rigours of international cricket. “I am thoroughly enjoying myself with my wife and children and don’t miss cricket too much.” As an international cricketer, he feels that you do miss out on a lot of time with the family. “So I am making up for all the lost time,” he says.
He hasn’t entirely been away from cricket. He was a member of the Deccan Chargers team in the Indian Premier League and, in his own words, “was blown away by the impact of IPL”. Gilchrist says that he always knew how big a passion the game was in India, “but IPL took it to an entirely different level.” Though his team fared miserably in the month-long extravaganza, he is more than looking forward to making amends and helping his team next season.
For someone who was a vital cog in the dominant Australian side, Gilchrist was one player who stood apart in the star-studded lineup. Even among the Aussies, who are known to play the game in an at times aggressive and over-the-top manner, Gilchrist was one player who remained fans of their most admired cricketers. A look at his record will tell you why he remains one of the true icons of modern-day cricket. His hard-hitting batting style got him over 30 international hundreds, including one in the 2007 World Cup final.
He has won three World Cups, and has to his credit a record number of dismissals. And he lost very few Test series as a player as well. For someone with such an illustrious career, he remains pretty modest about his achievements. Ask him to sum up his career in a few words and he says “energetic”. But you do get the feeling that the man is far too modest to comment on what he actually achieved.
With the Australians coming to India next month, Gilchrist — just like any other fan — says that he can’t wait for the series. “Playing in India was always a fantastic feeling. The crowds are so passionate and extremely knowledgeable and I am sure this series will be extremely rivetting.”
Gilchrist was the stand-in captain when Australia won its first series on Indian soil in 36 years, something which Australia has failed to do under Mark Taylor or Steve Waugh, two of the finest captains of all time. So it’s pretty obvious that he has fond memories of playing in India. But then again, it was in India that Gilchrist lost his first-ever Test match, in that historic 2001 series.
In fact, at one point of time, people used to laughingly wonder if Gilchrist would ever be part of a losing side, as Australia won the first 16 Tests in which he played!
Coming from a family of academicians, Gilchrist says that he did feel a bit left out on not attending university. But “cricket was such a tremendous learning experience and I didn’t turn out to be that bad”, he comments wryly.
So does he think Australia might be able to defend the Border-Gavaskar trophy this time around? “Oh, I am not going to downplay our chances but I am not going to big them up either.” He expects a cracker of a series, with both teams having to fight hard to win. He is happy, however, that the Australians tour more frequently now in India.
Though he has extremely fond memories of playing in the IPL, the disappointment of not helping his team’s fortunes lingers in his mind. And that’s why he is eagerly looking forward to coming back next year in March-April to help the Deccan Chargers have a better season this time around. As the favourite Aussie of many Indians, most of his fans here will definitely miss the presence of Gilchrist when Australia visit in October.
