"Made all wicketkeepers go 'oh no' because they had to bat like him" - Michael Vaughan, R Ashwin pay tribute to Adam Gilchrist
Former cricketers Michael Vaughan, Kumar Sangakkara, Wasim Akram and Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin paid a joint tribute to Adam Gilchrist for his contribution to international cricket on Monday.
The tribute, uploaded as part of the ICC’s Hall of Fame series, began with an interesting observation by Michael Vaughan.
The erstwhile England captain stated that Adam Gilchrist changed the 'face of cricket' by associating the Aussie star's flamboyance with wicketkeepers. He added that most other glovemen in the world weren't happy with Gilchrist's rise because they were being expected to up their game and bat like him.
"Adam Gilchrist will always go down as the guy that made all the wicketkeepers around the world go 'oh no' because they all had to bat like him. He changed the face of cricket. Every No. 7 in the world had to be a keeper who could bat like Adam Gilchrist. The ability to go out at 100-5 and take the opposition down and do exactly the same at 300-5, opening the batting in one-day cricket, pretty much swinging with control and setting the tone... A very very good gloveman, clever chirper behind the stumps, not abusive or aggressive but clever," said Vaughan."
Sangakkara described Gilchrist as a 'pioneer' who was equally adept against spin and pace. He said:
"Adam Gilchrist was a pioneer. He attacked both spin and pace and he played spin really well which was rare."
Wasim Akram elaborated on how difficult it was to bowl against Adam Gilchrist as a fast bowler.
"If you pitch him short, he'll play a pull shot, if you bowl slightly wide, he'll play a cut shot and if you try to adjust your length and slightly pitch it up a bit, he'll hit you straight [up]," said Akram.
"Adam Gilchrist glorified cricket as a gentleman's game" - R Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in by calling Gilchrist a true ambassador of the game. He hailed Gilchrist as an honest player and someone who 'glorified' cricket as a gentleman's game.
"The minute you say Adam Gilchrist, the one thing that strikes is the fact that he was very honest and how he walked whenever he nicked the ball. I think in the eyes of kids and people who watched the game, he'll always be the ambassador of the sport who actually glofried this game as a gentleman's game," said Ashwin.
An idol for most young wicketkeepers of his generation, Adam Gilchrist featured in 396 internationals for Australia, amassing over 15000 runs across formats including 81 fifties and 33 tons.
Gilchrist also affected a whopping 905 dismissals from behind the stumps - a record that still holds. He retired in 2008 after a glorious 12-year-long career.