Top 10 Test match wicket-keepers of all-time

The job of a wicket-keeper is extremely demanding in cricket as he tends to attract more attention when he commits a mistake or two rather than when he is going about his job well. There has been a gradual shift in the role of a glovesman in Test cricket over the years. There was a time when keepers were in the team solely for their glovework, batting at No.8 or below and averaging in the low to mid-20s. But, in the last 15-20 years, the expectations from a wicket-keeper have changed altogether: apart from, obviously, having to be good with the gloves, they are now expected to be able to bat in the top seven and contribute to the team by making runs consistently. Here are the top 10 wicket-keepers of all-time:

#10 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni’s ability with the gloves, in my opinion, often goes unnoticed. After all, he is 5th in the list of most dismissals in Test cricket, with 275 dismissals from 86 Tests, ahead of greats like Jeffrey Dujon and Alan Knott. While stats are not the be-all and end-all, one cannot argue with the numbers that Dhoni has accumulated over the last decade.

He has also played many crucial innings with the bat: 224 against Australia in Chennai last year and 76* against England in a match-saving effort at Lord’s in 2007 come to mind. When you consider the fact that he has also had the burden of being captain for the last 6-7 years, you realize how invaluable he has been for India and will be a huge miss once he calls time on his international career.   

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