Bye bye Gilly

Adam Gilchrist announced his retirement from international cricket yesterday. He has been a phenomenon in world cricket. Before he came into the picture, wicketkeepers were supposed to be decent batsmen; a test average of around 30 was supposed to be very good. Seventeen thousand runs and 32 centuries later, he has forever changed the definition of a wicketkeeper batsman.
Some of his career highlights read:

• The fastest Test wicketkeeper to 100 test dismissals.
  
• The fastest Test wicketkeeper to 200 test dismissals.
• World recordholder for the most number of wicketkeeping dismissals in One-Day International cricket.
• World record-holder for the most dismissals in an innings in One-Day International cricket.
• World recordholder for the most number of wicketkeeping dismissals in Test cricket.
• Fastest strike rate in the history of One-Day International cricket for a batsman scoring over 5,000 runs (96.9!).
• First batsman in Test cricket history to hit 100 sixes.
• World record holder for a wicketkeeper for playing consecutive Tests without ever being dropped for form or injury - 96 in all.
  

A perfect gentleman on and off the field, he was a rare batsman who always walked off, without waiting for the umpire's decision, if he nicked the ball.
I first saw him in a 6-a-side tournament where he smashed all the bowlers around the park.
Ian Healy was still at the helm then. While Gilly couldn't replace Healy as a keeper then, he forced his way into the Aussie team purely as a batsman. And what a batsman he was. An average of 47.9 in Test cricket will have done any top order batsman proud but that avg, from a man who batted at no 7, was simply unthinkable. After Healy retired, no other keeper has been able to take his place yet.
The innings that I most remember of his, is the one that he played to steer Australia to a test victory over Pakistan. If memory serves me right, it was an Australian tour of Pak, and Aus had won the 1st 2 tests. Paksitan had played very well in the 3rd test and had Aus on the mat on the 4th innings. Aus needed something like 360 runs to win but were down at 180 odd for 5, courtesy Wasim Akram and co. But Gilchrist came out all guns blazing and turned the match on its head by pounding the pakistani bowlers all over the park. He remained around 130 not out with Langer also scoring a century at the other end. It was one of the greatest innings I have ever seen.

I was truly saddened by the news of his retirement - for watching a great man, irrespective of his origin, at work is an inspiration. It remains to be seen whether Australia can recover from the loss of such great cricketers as Warne, McGrath, Langer and now Gilly in such quick succession. Thanks Gilly for all the entertainment you have provided over the years - and wish you all the best for your future.

O Captain! My Captain!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head;

It is some dream that on the deck,

You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!

But I, with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

A young boy of 16 inchoate years goes to Australia with the India cricket team. After just 1 ODI, he is dropped from the team. He is written off by the critics and excoriated by the media. Everyone gives up on him. Except the boy himself. Armed with nothing but self belief he dares to dream and instead of sinking into an abyss of negativity, he channels all his frustrations into performing well in domestic cricket.
After slogging it out for 4 yrs, he finally gets the long cherished national call up. After an unceremonious walkout by a prominent player, he gets a chance to prove himself. The stage: the home of world cricket - Lords. He walks out regally and stamps his class over the game bewitching the crowd with his majestic cover drives and fluency. A century on debut at Lords. He follows this up with another century in his very next innings in the next test. All his doubters turn colour and laud him as if they never doubted his mettle in the first place. He becomes a hero back home. He is christened the Prince of Calcutta. Time moves on...and he becomes the captain of the Indian team when Indian cricket was going through a tumultuous phase of match fixing allegations. He takes a young unproven team and gels them into a winning combination, becoming India's most successful Captain ever. As a player, he becomes one of the highest run getters ever in International cricket.
So did he live happily ever after? He would have, but providence had other ideas. After giving so much to India cricket, he is malevolently thrown out of the team by the authoritarian new national coach who cannot stand the respect that our young boy, now an experienced man, commands among his boys. Any lesser man would have packed his bags and left for good. He just packs his cricket kit and comes to the practice field. And he trains. He trains and produces a mountain of runs in banal cricket fields all over the country. After a year of toil, he finally gets his dues - he is picked as part of the team for the South African tour.
And then he performs. In the hard and bouncy pitches of South Africa, he emerges as the highest Indian run getter in the series. After forcing his way into the ODI team, he emerges as the 5th highest ODI run getter for the the entire year after his comeback. Towards the end of that very year, he strikes a purple patch and becomes the 2nd highest run getter in Test cricket for that year, scoring a double century against India's arch rival Pakistan to help India win the series.
Then comes the big test. Against the best team in the world, he continues his rich vain of form although in a losing cause in the first two tests, while being subjected to some Buck-was umpiring decisions. Then in the 3rd test, he is part of arguably India's greatest Test victory ever. When he is sure that he has finally weathered the storm, he is dealt the final blow. He is dropped again by the selectors and the current ODI captain. Our hero is shattered. Our hero is stunned. He recalls that it was he who had brought the new Captain into the team and backed him for success. But then he remembers, Brutus was never dead.