Australia’s legendary wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist is often hailed for his aggressive batting as well as his exemplary glove work behind the stumps. India’s finest skipper, MS Dhoni had even stated Gilchrist as his idol while growing up. 

Gilchrist played Test cricket like ODIs and ODIs like T20 cricket. The 52-year-old represented the baggy green in close to 100 matches along with over 280 matches in ODIs. 

In a recent interview with the Times of India (TOI) the former Aussie player revealed his idol while growing up and his stanza on the best wicket-keepers he has watched during his time as a professional cricketer. 

Who is Gilchrist’s favourite wicket-keeper?

While talking to TOI Gilchrist revealed that he admired Australian legend Rodney Marsh the most. Marsh created history with his wicket-keeping skills with over 350 dismissals in his fourteen-year-long international career. Marsh retired from international cricket in 1984. 

Gilchrist also hailed Dhoni’s calm presence behind the stumps along with Sri Lanka’s ace wicket-keeper batsman, Kumar Sangakkara. The Sri Lankan cricketer has a stunning record in all the formats of the game with over 12,000 runs in both Test and ODI formats. He is right at the top with the greats of the game like Sachin Tendulkar, Riky Ponting and Sanath Jayasuriya. 

Rodney Marsh, he was my idol. That’s who I wanted to be. MS Dhoni… I like his coolness. He did it his way, always calm. And Kumar Sangakkara. He was so classy in everything he did, batting high up the order and with his keeping skills.

Gilchrist also talked about the resilience of batters like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who were simply unstoppable when at their best. He specifically mentioned the infamous Kolkata Test of 2001 wherein the two Indian batters outclassed the Aussies to secure a massive victory for the Indians. 

Kolkata, 2001, when VVS (Laxman) and (Rahul) Dravid batted all day. They just shut us out of the game. When I reflect on it, you almost knew you were part of something special

Laxman played a stunning knock of 281 runs, while Dravid complimented with a resilient 180-run innings of his own. India made a comeback for the ages after being made to follow on in the second innings to win the clash at the iconic Eden Gardens. 

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