Australia are 5 down and the opposition bowlers are looking to wrap up the tail quickly. The opening batters are mentally preparing to pad up and come out to bat. They have planned which bowler to guard against and which bowler to score against. Only thing is that it is not going to happen. The wait is going to be longer. Infact, the wait is going to be painful because the man walking in is none other than the one player who has completely transformed the role of a wicket keeper. Adam Gilchrist. Let me pay tribute in Adam Gilchrist the man who changed something.

Adam Gilchrist started to play in ODIs much before he made his test debut. He was so successful in ODIs that there was a clamour for him to be included in the test team. Ian Healy, who was keeping the seat warm for Gilchrist hung onto the role far longer than required. Once Healy announced his decision to retire, it was a no-brainer as to who will replace him. Thus Adam Gilchrist made his Test debut against Pakistan back in 1999. Suffice is to say that he not only announced himself but he made every wicket-keeper batsman around the world look like school child.

The impact that he created batting down the order was enormous. He came, he saw and he conquered.

The knock that announced him to the world

In his second test, Gilchrist played a match winning knock that is the dream of every great batsman worth their salt. Australia chasing 369 to win have lost 5 wickets for just for 120. It was only a matter of time before Pakistan will register an impressive win. Alongwith the current Australian coach, Justin Langer, he conjured a magical innings. 149 runs of sheer beauty and determination. There are so many batsmen around the world who will yearn for atleast one match-winnings performance in the 4th innings throughout their career.

Here, Gilchrist achieved that feat in only his second test. It was then the world stood up to notice an once in a generation talent. Now, the world will know that when they come up against the Australian team of which Gilchrist was part of, it was difficult to get the top 6. By that time, the bowlers will be tired and exhausted. In walks the destroyer who will not only gallop but will also make the opposition surrender.

Gilchrist is more like Virender Sehwag. An average ODI player but a devastating test cricketer. Before his test debut, he had shown glimpses of his batting ability in the short format. However, it was always felt that to succeed in ODIs is one thing but to succeed in tests with his brand of batting is altogether a different ball game.

A wicket keeper who can be as good as top 6 batsmen

Until Gilchrist roamed the face of the earth, every team were satisfied with a keeper who can bat a bit. All the teams were satisfied with a decent contribution with the bat from the keeper. None of the teams ever expected the wicket-keeper to change the game with the bat. They were expected to support the top order batsmen. Nothing more nothing less. It was only after Gilchrist did teams go searching for a batsman who is as good as the top 6 and who can also keep. If not for him, I career of Dhoni may have been delayed because Dhoni was not that safe a keeper during his initial years.

Gilchrist the batsman was way more devastating than his career figures, though impressive as it is, suggests. “Leave it to Gilly” is the phrase that the Aussies of that era often talks about. He delivered quite often too. Realising that Gilchrist will follow, the top order batsmen never had second thoughts about attacking the bowlers. They did so with relish. Matthew Hayden set the trend at the top of the order.

Gilchrist’s incredible win record

Gilchrist has the highest win record. 76%. Infact, for the first 17 tests, Gilchrist never tasted a test loss. Was it because of him or was it because of the players he was surrounded by, will never be known. During his career, Australia lost a couple of series. One against India in 2001 and the other against England in 2005. Was it merely a coincidence or was it superior opposition performance that Australia lost those series because Gilchrist did not perform? That will be hard to envisage but it gives an idea of how commanding he was. Yet, for all his brilliance, Gilchrist was never mentioned in the same bracket as Tendulkar, Dravid, Ponting & Lara. The bonafide greats of his era. Perhaps because the opposition when they come up against Australia are already defeated looking at their top order.

Gilchrist scored 17 hundreds. As far as I remember, I do not think any other wicket keeper has scored that many. There was a period during which his average was above 50. He was good enough to be amongst the top 6 Australian batsmen and yet, Australia never felt the need to remove the keeping gloves from him.

Gilchrist had an unconventional batting technique. In that he never favoured defence and was more intent on aggressive cricket. More often than not, he was able to pull it off. Some of those knocks were scarcely believable. Hundred in Mumbai, hundred against Pakistan in only second test and hundred in 2 hours against England.

Not a prolific ODI player

The destroyer of attacks never had a profitable ODI career. Perhaps because of the spread field, he wasn’t able to score freely. Not to mention 50 overs of keeping which would have exhausted him. Nonetheless, he did play some crucial innings during his career. With Hayden, he formed a terrifying opening partnership.

Conclusion

Much like Don Bradman or Marshall, it will be hard to find another Gilchrist. Not just for Australia but for any team. Someone who is good behind the stumps and someone who is devastating in front of them. There are a few who has the potential like Pant or Buttler but will they be able to reach the heights Gilchrist has achieved? That remains to be seen.

Tribute about another great, Shane Warne, can be read here and here.

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England managed to keep Ashes alive

The whole of England would have screamed The Ashes is alive, The Ashes is alive, The Ashes is alive. Well, it is indeed alive. England fought back really well and ensured that they live to fight another day. The action at Headingley, the scene of Ben Stokes’s previous exploits, was riveting. The tension was palpable on the face of everyone watching the game. There were multiple heroes for both England and Australia. England will be the more happier of the 2 teams who were fighting for The Ashes. The victory was fashioned not by Stokes but by a bloke who is just in his first year in international cricket and a fast bowler, who should have been in the starting eleven right from Edgbaston. How did England managed to keep Ashes alive? The inclusion of Mark Wood He has got pace. He runs in hard and is not shy of releasing the ball at uncomfortable speeds. That, he wasn’t part of the England team from Edgbaston is for me, an unpardonable oversight unless he was injured. Wood’s pace and movement after pitching clearly unsettled every Australian player. I have been advocating for Wood to be included in every game until the series is decided. Ofcourse, it makes sense to protect such a precious asset but why wouldn’t you want to make use of his services when the series is alive? Does anyone think that without Wood, England would still have won and that too after the infamous Bairstow incident at Lords? I doubt it. Wood was clearly the difference between the 2 sides. Cummins who looked quite comfortable and assured of himself with the bat at Edgbaston and Lords, suddenly turned into a nervous wreck. Not just Cummins, the entire Australian tail was weary of facing upto Wood. They were afraid of getting hit by one of his thunderbolts. For once, Ollie Robinson’s words came true. Johnny Bairstow continues to flounder If only Bairstow had held onto the chances, England by now would have been leading 2-1 and not the otherway around. His keeping is not at all international standard. He misses every regulation nick and yet, he is persisted with for his batting. I am not advocating for Bairstow to be dropped but he must be relieved of his wicket-keeping duties. All the 3 games were won the Australia and England by small margins. As such, England cannot afford anymore largesse. It is another matter if England is short of good keepers but in Foakes, they have a worldclass keeper. Ollie Robinson will definitely not play at Old Trafford. It gives a good chance to bring Foakes back to keep wickets. Bairstow will probably be relieved to concentrate on batting alone. It may even unleash the beast within Bairstow. Let us remember that all those match-winning innings that Bairstow played last year, he wasn’t keeping wickets then. His replacement, Harry Brook, has gone on from strength to strength and cannot be dropped. Stokes has a tricky decision to make. Does he risk Ashes by persisting with Bairstow as the keeper or does he solidify the team with the inclusion of a brilliant wicket-keeper? It will shorten the bowling but Broad, Woakes, Wood, Moeen and if needed Stokes and Root will be able to bowl the necessary overs. If Bairstow continues to keep, probably one more Australian might tell him that “you have just dropped the Ashes” Boycott wants him dropped “England took a calculated gamble and it hasn’t worked,” wrote Boycott. “In three Tests he has dropped catches, missed a stumping and can’t score any runs. It is very sad and outwardly he may show he is upbeat and full of exuberance, but when you fail on the big stage in the full glare of publicity there is nowhere to hide and deep down it affects your confidence. Someone needs to be brave for him and take him out of the limelight. Well, I will not go that far. However, I certainly want him replaced as the keeper. Bairstow can continue as a batsman. Harry Brook showed his quality He has the potential to become one of the best batsmen of his era. He displayed remarkable composure under extreme pressure. Brook curbed his natural instinct to bat aggressively and decisively. The situation called for restraint and accumulation. In the company of Woakes, Brook showed what he is made of. England have really found a worthy successor to Root. Australia need not be disheartened The positives for Australia far outweigh the negatives. The excellent comeback of Mitchell Marsh, who may very well have played a match-winning innings if not for lack of support from the other end. Australia will now be very much unsure as to whom to pick. Whether they will have to go back to Green or do they continue with Marsh? Green has been seen as the future of Australian cricket and in the limited exposure, has not done anything wrong to be dropped. He is an excellent fielder at gully. It will make sense to continue with Green. Australia’s real problem is at the top. David Warner. 17 times he has fallen to Broad. Broad is not going anywhere. He will play the final couple of Tests. As such, he will relish the prospect of bowling to Warner. The only saving grace for Warner is that Australia does not have a reserve opener. Head opened in India but he has been so successful at number 5 that it does not really make any sense to move him up the order. Labuschagne himself is not among the runs and he is unlikely to. It leaves Mitchell Marsh to open the innings. I do not know whether he has opened even in Shield cricket but to do that in an international game needs a lot of courage. This could also be Marsh’s only opportunity to force himself into the side. If asked, I probably suspect that he will agree. Wrapping up England managed to keep Ashes alive It is not all doom and gloom for Australia. The momentum hasn’t shifted. This loss was always on the cards given the pressure on England. It took the brilliant bowling of Wood to unsettle them. They will be better off for this exposure

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