Even before November 1999, a host of exceptional wicketkeeper-batters had graced the international scene, not least India’s own Farokh Engineer and the wonderful Andy Flower from Zimbabwe. But from the time a left-hander from Western Australia stormed the Test firmament at the Gabba in Brisbane nearly 27 years back with a bruising 81 on debut, against a shell-shocked Pakistani outfit, wicketkeeper-batters have been looked at in an entirely different vein.

Adam Gilchrist rewrote the dynamics of Test batsmanship. He was a destructive opener in limited-overs cricket long before he played his first Test, and reeled off numerous wondrous knocks, including in the final of the 50-over 2007 World Cup when, with a squash ball for company, he bludgeoned his way to 149 against Mahela Jaywardene’s Sri Lanka in a decisive effort that took Australia to a hat-trick of titles. But it was in the red-ball game that Gilchrist set stall as a pioneer, providing not just meaningful heft to the Australian batting but scoring runs at such a furious clip that opponents were often ducking, unsuccessfully, for cover.

For the most part of his glittering career that encompassed 96 Tests, the left-hander had the luxury of batting behind a grand top six that used different methodologies to subjugate bowling attacks in all parts of the world. The sight of Gilchrist, the destroyer supreme, striding in purposefully at No. 7, was dispiriting or exhilarating, depending on which side of the fence one was. Gilchrist seldom disappointed; when he scored his runs, he did so with not just panache and chutzpah but also with a violent streak that damaged bowling figures as well as egos. How could anyone bat with such unchecked aggression at No. 7? How could someone fuse a no-holds-barred approach with such consistency (as an average of 47.60 at a strike-rate of 81.95 will unequivocally testify to)?

Gold standard

Gilchrist will remain the gold standard among wicketkeeper-batters, the platform from which the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, more than anyone else, launched himself into the stratosphere. Gilchrist’s towering presence kept an entire generation – or more – of Aussie stumper-batters out of international reckoning. India, however, found a judicious balance; while Dhoni’s aggression in front of the stumps and his brilliance behind it precluded a dynamic new force breaking through, India were compelled to find a place, if only as a specialist batter, for Dinesh Karthik, the ebullient little right-hander from Chennai who was more than good enough to hold his own as a batter.

Karthik wasn’t the first Indian gloveman to play as a specialist batter. Nearly four decades before him, Budhi Kunderan donned that role, even opening the batting in England in 1967 alongside designated wicketkeeper Engineer. A couple of decades on, Chandrakant Pandit played as a middle-order bat with Kiran More slotting in as the wicketkeeper. Such was Karthik’s great natural ability – which he didn’t maximise, he will acknowledge – that in the Dhoni era, India fielded him as a full-fledged opener overseas, and with no little success. Alongside Wasim Jaffer, Karthik formed an excellent opening combine in Bangladesh and England in 2007, bringing up his only Test ton across the border and bettering that effort by emerging as India’s highest scorer in England, when they last won a Test series there by a slender 1-0 margin.

Karthik played his last eight Tests down the order, sometimes when Dhoni wasn’t available (including through retirement) and he donned the big gloves, and at others when he played alongside the Jharkhandi as a pure batter. Just one half-century in his last 14 Test innings meant he played the last of his 26 Tests in August 2018; his Test average of 25 was decidedly underwhelming, given his supreme gift as a batter, but that can happen when one is overeager and anxious to not just justify their selection but also state their case for a longer rope.

India now have a profusion of excellent wicketkeeper-batters across formats – Rishabh Pant, of course, tops that chart, especially when it comes to the red-ball variant, but there are a host of others that can’t be ignored. Among them are Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, exclusive when it comes to the white-ball version. And Dhruv Jurel, the 25-year-old from Agra whose first Test cap came as a wicketkeeper against England in Rajkot in February 2024 when Pant was out after his horrific road accident of 14 months previously and KS Bharat had played himself out of the XI with poor efforts in the first two Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam respectively.

The generational talent that Pant is, he kept almost exclusively from the time he made his Test debut in Nottingham in August 2018 and made a stunning 114 in his third appearance at the Oval till his single-car accident in December 2022 when India were suddenly forced to scramble for a replacement. Bharat, from Andhra, won the early nod for the home Tests against Australia in February 2023 and donned the big gloves in the final of the World Test Championship against the same opponents that June. KL Rahul was nominated the first-choice stumper for the two Tests in South Africa towards the end of the year, more to provide stability and class to the lower order in a line-up from which very few had played in South Africa previously. Bharat reclaimed his spot behind the sticks against England at home and played himself out of the XI following scores of 41, 28, 17 and 6 which meant that in seven Tests and 12 innings, he only averaged 20.09, a definite no-no given that the wicketkeeper’s was no longer a single-discipline specialised slot.

Out went the call to Jurel for the third Test in Rajkot with the series finely poised at 1-1, and it was immediately apparent that India had hit upon a gold mine. The right-hander made a poised 46 on debut, and upped the ante in the next match with scores of 90 and 39 not out, the first ensuring that India didn’t end up conceding a massive lead and the second taking them home in a tense run-chase when he and Shubman Gill put on 72 for the unfinished sixth-wicket stand.

This was in February 2024, when one wasn’t sure when Pant would be available for selection though in a characteristic show of gumption and guts, the stocky left-hander was far ahead of the timelines the doctors had tentatively outlined for a possible comeback to competitive cricket. Pant was ready for international cricket in September that year, making a remarkable recovery from a series of potentially life-threatening injuries to smash 109 on his comeback Test in Chennai against Bangladesh. Suddenly, Jurel faced an uncertain future. Despite an impressive start to his Test career, he had to bow before the irrepressible force that Pant was, though it was always on the cards that he could slot in alongside Pant, if not necessarily ahead of him.

In six of his last nine Tests, Jurel has occupied a specialist batter’s position between No. 4 and No. 8 (and that only because Akash Deep was employed as a nightwatchman at the Oval last August). On the three occasions when was the designated wicketkeeper, Pant was unavailable through injury after breaking his right foot in the Manchester Test against England in July last year. Despite the vast array of batting riches at India’s disposal, head coach Gautam Gambhir has identified in Jurel a dependable batting option, and the man from Uttar Pradesh has comprehensively justified that faith with two hundreds and a fifty in those nine Tests and 15 innings.

Jurel’s coming-of-age moment, if it can be called that, transpired in Ahmedabad last October with Pant still to recover from the broken foot. In India’s only innings against West Indies, he uncorked an excellent 125, then followed it up with 44 in the next Test in Delhi. With Pant returning to action against South Africa in November, Jurel continued on as a batter alone though like the rest of his colleagues, he had a series to forget with outings of 14, 13, 0 and 2 in a disastrous 0-2 result that has comprehensively dented India’s hopes of making a third WTC final in four cycles.

But instead of pressing the panic button and looking elsewhere, the decision-makers continued to invest their belief in him and Jurel has responded in style. Towards the end of June, he was a part of the India ‘A’ squad that travelled on the ‘shadow’ tour of Sri Lanka for two unofficial ‘Tests’, ostensibly at the insistence of Gambhir because of his felicity against the turning ball. Jurel warmed up nicely for the Test series to follow with scores of 141 not out, 14 and 53, and it was no surprise that he was picked for the first Test in Galle, when he weighed in with 51 and 7 in a winning cause.

In Colombo last week, Jurel went one better with an unbeaten 115 during which he brought his technical expertise and his mental fortitude into play. He also kept wickets for a while when Pant was recovering from a blow to his right shoulder sustained while batting, and when he went back to the outfield, took a terrific running catch from point to get rid of Lahiru Kumara in Sri Lanka’s first innings. At every stage in every role, he has looked the part, making his presence felt with total commitment and a never-say-die spirit without seeking recourse to the flashy and the flamboyant.

Jurel was chosen for Sri Lanka for his ability to play spin with finesse, and it is hard now to see him being overlooked during the November Test tour of New Zealand where the challenges for batters will be vastly different. At No. 6, behind Pant, he has the technique to tackle the second new ball if that is what he is confronted with. Ravindra Jadeja behind him in the batting order and the possible return of Washington Sundar from injury mean he is a right-handed option around a plethora of left-handers, and while that alone can’t be a qualification, he has shown that he can hold his own against bowling of any kind in any conditions.

India are fortunate that in Jurel, they have a three-in-one cricketer with his entire future ahead of him. As a batting average of 40.68 from 12 Tests proves, he is every bit deserving of the show of confidence. A place in the starting XI in Wellington in November is no more than he deserves; one can rest assured that Jurel will be short on neither preparation nor fire when ‘Play’ is called at the Basin Reserve.

Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist has weighed in on the greatest all-rounder debate, challenging Ricky Ponting’s assertion that Jacques Kallis is the best cricketer of all time. While Ponting recently hailed Kallis for his staggering numbers with both bat and ball, Gilchrist believes statistics alone don’t define greatness and instead placed the late Shane Warne at the top of cricket’s all-time elite. “I understand where Ricky is coming from—statistically, the runs, wickets, and catches—but there is more to it than just numbers,” Gilchrist said in an interview with news.com.au. “I personally think Shane Warne is the greatest to have played.”

Ponting had earlier named Kallis as the cricketing GOAT, citing his 13,289 Test runs, 45 centuries, and 292 wickets as unparalleled achievements. However, Gilchrist insisted that Warne’s impact on the game, both as a bowler and a tactician, was unmatched.

“For Warnie to achieve what he did, especially living the way he did and still managing to perform at that level, it shows he was a true champion,” Gilchrist said. “Beyond his bowling, he was also an incredible batsman. He just left way too many runs out there when he played. I don’t even think he knew his own batting talent. When it comes down to pure cricketing genius—batting, bowling, catching, and tactical brilliance—Warnie is No.1 for me.”

Gilchrist’s comments come amid Australia’s dominance in world cricket, which has led to criticism from England supporters. After Australia completed a 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka, England’s Barmy Army accused them of “stat-padding” by selecting weaker opponents to boost their records.

The Barmy Army’s post, “Keep stat-padding, Aussies,” implied that Australia was playing against a Sri Lankan side ranked below them to make their numbers look better. However, Gilchrist was quick to fire back.

“It’ll be interesting to see what excuse they come up with if Australia lifts the Champions Trophy at Lord’s in June,” he quipped. “I bet they will struggle with that one. I absolutely can’t wait for that and the rivalry of the Ashes next year.”

With Australia holding every major bilateral trophy and preparing for another World Test Championship final, Gilchrist believes the team is silencing its critics in the best way possible—by winning.

Away from the international cricketing debates, Gilchrist is also preparing to return to the field for a special charity T20 match in Lismore this weekend. The match is being held to support the region’s recovery from the devastating 2022 floods, which were among the worst natural disasters in Australia’s history.

Set to be played on Saturday, the game will feature a host of cricketing greats, including Dan Christian, Steve O’Keefe, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, and several WBBL and local stars.

Gilchrist, who grew up in Lismore and captained Kadina High School’s cricket team, remains a beloved figure in the region. He admitted that stepping back onto the field is always a nerve-racking experience.

“It’s always nerve-racking to get back out in the middle. Every year, it is tougher to play the game,” Gilchrist said. “You worry about your hamstring going and then facing bowlers, but it’s good fun. That’s what it’s all about—getting back out there with people you’ve traveled the world with and celebrating such a resilient community in the process.”

Former Australian batter Adam Gilchrist hailed star batter Steve Smith on completing 10,000 Test runs, calling him a “master craftsman” and expressing admiration for his journey from a leg spinner to a top-class batter. Smith made history on Wednesday, scoring his 35th Test century and also becoming only the fourth Australia batter to touch the 10,000 run mark in Tests during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. Reaching the 10,000 Test run mark is a memorable chapter of Smith’s illustrious Test career, which saw him turn into an epitome of determination, grind and consistency, from the days of being rated as a successor to late leg-spinner Shane Warne.

Speaking as quoted by Fox Cricket, Gilchrist expressed wonder at this same journey and hailed the veteran for evolving his game so well.

“I think part of what is so amazing is how it started and how he got into the team at number eight or nine bowling leg spin, when we were still in the hunt for a replacement for Warnie, and (there were questions as to) where he was going to be that option? That is what I find quite stunning about his career, how it started,” Gilchrist said.

“The way he evolved his own game and worked at that, it was completely different to everyone else, and that speaks volumes.”

Gilchrist went on to hail Smith as “one of the greatest” batters for Australia.

“From a mental capacity and the psychology of his batting, I find that the most fascinating to watch. He is a master craftsman and he is one of our greatest,” he concluded.

Smith ended the first day of the Galle Test unbeaten at 104* in 188 balls, with 10 fours and a six, involved in a 195-run partnership with Usman Khawaja (147* in 210 balls, with 10 fours and a six). Earlier, Australia had opted to bat first after winning the toss. Travis Head (57 in 40 balls, with 10 fours and a six) opened the innings with Khawaja and had a 92-run opening stand. Marnus Labuschagne (20 in 50 balls, with two fours) also contributed some runs before Smith and Khawaja joined forces and took Australia to 330/2 at the end of day one.

In 115 Tests and 205 innings, Smith has scored 10,103 runs at an average of 56.44. He has scored 35 centuries and 41 fifties, with the best score of 239.

He is the fourth Australian after Ricky Ponting (13,378), Allan Border (11,174) and Steve Waugh (10,927) to reach the 10,000 run mark and overall 15th player ever.

With 35 Test centuries, Smith has overtaken the likes of Younis Khan (Pakistan), Brian Lara (West Indies), Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) and Sunil Gavaskar (India), who all have 34 Tests each.

In the ongoing ICC World Test Championship, Smith has scored 1,156 runs at an average of 38.53, with four centuries and four fifties in 34 innings. His best score is 140. He is the seventh-highest run-getter so far in the competition and Australia’s top run-getter.

File photo of Rohit Sharma© AFP

Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his frustration with the inconsistent batting form of Indian batter Shubman Gill while Australia’s wicketkeeper-batting legend Adam Gilchrist had a witty remark for the stylish cricketer. Vaughan and Gilchrist were speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast hosted by them. They assessed performances during the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gill had a poor series, scoring just 93 runs in five innings at an average of 18.60 with best score of 31. It was a huge downgrade from his Test debut in Australia in 2020-21 BGT, where he made 259 runs in three matches at an average of 51.80 with two fifties, with his iconic knock of 91 during the run chase of 328 at Brisbane being his best score.

Speaking on the podcast, Vaughan said about Gill that though he is “elegant”, he needs to get bigger scores.

“4/10 (Gill’s performance rating), He [Gill] frustrates me. He has got to get bigger scores. He is one that wonderful, the elegant one as how we call him,” he said.

Gilchrist said: “I was gonna give Gill a three maybe but I would give him a 4/10, no player in world cricket have better hair than when they take their helmet off. As soon as that helmet comes off is… it is perfect.”

Since that iconic knock at Brisbane in 2021, Gill’s willow has been silent in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) conditions, having made just 255 runs in eight Tests and 15 innings at an average of 17.00, with best score of 36. He has often failed to capitalise on his steady starts. His overall away numbers are disappointing, with just 649 runs in 13 matches and 24 innings at an average of 29.50, with a century and two fifties to his name and best score of 110.

His numbers at home are way better, having made 1,177 runs in 17 Tests and 31 innings at an average of 42.03, with four centuries and five fifties. His best score is 128.

In 32 Tests, Gill has scored 1,893 runs at a rather underwhelming average of 35.05, with five tons and seven fifties in 59 innings and best score of 128.

File image of Rohit Sharma.© AFP

File image of Australia cricket team in the India vs Australia 2nd Test.© AFP

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist has weighed in on Marnus Labuschagne’s recent dip in form, attributing it to challenging conditions and strong opposition rather than technical flaws as per Nine’s Wide World of Sports. Gilchrist emphasized that Labuschagne remains a “class act” despite his current struggles. “I’m sure the people around him are already doing this but he needs to be reminded that he is a class act,” said Gilchrist in a discussion with Nine’s Wide World of Sports,

“He’s got a game that has been able to tolerate and withstand everything that the cricketing world has presented, and he’s dominated for a number of years,” he added.

Gilchrist pointed out that Labuschagne might be overthinking his approach, leading to a more defensive style of play. He noted that this mental shift is common among cricketers facing a rough patch.

“Most players that have played long enough will have been in this situation at some point in time and it’s about not letting any self-doubt creep in and understanding you don’t lose that skill — you don’t lose that edge — [and] certainly not in a short space of time,” Gilchrist explained, as quoted by Nine’s Wide World of Sports.

Drawing from his own experience, Gilchrist offered straightforward advice to Labuschagne.

“Trust your training, get out there, see the ball and play it,” he said.

Labuschagne managed scores of 2 and 3 in the first Test against in Perth, as Australia crashed to a 295-run loss. It was the latest in a long line of lower scores for Labuschagne.

Having accumulated the third-most runs in the WTC 2021-23 cycle, the right-hand batter has managed just 658 runs in 13 Tests in the current cycle. He averages 13.66 across five Tests after his two half-centuries against Pakistan in early January this year.

The second Test, scheduled from December 6 to 10 at the Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under lights. The third Test will take place at The Gabba in Brisbane from December 14 to 18.

The iconic Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will run from December 26 to 30, marking the penultimate match of the series.

The fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, set for January 3 to 7, will bring the series to an exciting conclusion.

Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist said Josh Hazlewood’s comments post a crushing day three’s play for the hosts in the first Test against India have suggested to him that there is a likelihood of divide in the dressing room. In the post-day press conference after day three ended, Hazlewood was asked about how Australia would approach day four. His response to the query was, “You probably have to ask one of the batters that question. I’m sort of relaxing and trying to get a bit of physio and a bit of treatment, and I’m probably looking mostly towards the next Test and what plans we can do against these batters.”

“I guess the batters are just sticking to what they do, their preparation. They’ll have a hit in the morning and talk around plans of what happened in the first innings, how they can negate that and move forward and improve on that.”

During a discussion on day four’s play in the Perth Test, Gilchrist talked about it on Fox Sports and said, “That to me tells me there is potentially a divided change room. I don’t know if there is. I might be reading too much into that.”

He then asked former opener David Warner if there is more to read in Hazlewood’s comments. Warner said, “I think as a senior player you have a duty of care when you’re representing the team to have something the batters want to get across, all the batters are thinking about going out and batting.”

“There’s not a lot of runs in that changeroom at the moment, but to have the support from a senior bowler, those comments probably weren’t warranted. I don’t think there’s a divide in there, you probably see in great teams as well you could come off after a long day and start pointing fingers, but I don’t think there’s a divide.”

But former England skipper Michael Vaughan expressed his surprise over Hazlewood’s remarks. “Publicly, I’ve never heard an Australian come out and divide the camp into batters and bowlers. There’s 11 batters, that will never change, every player has to bat. There’s two days to go in the Test match, it’s a long shot for Australia to get anything out of this game.”

“But to publicly see a player say basically I’m thinking about the next game before this game is finished, I’ve been in many teams and I get it. You do get the batters and you do get the bowlers… but you can see there’s a bit of grumpiness there, but to publicly come out and say that, I have never seen that from an Australian.”

“Any player around the globe, but particularly an Australian… I always look at the small details in every team… the togetherness and the lack of spirit in the outfield, you don’t say that often about Australia.”

Former India player and head coach Ravi Shastri remarked Hazlewood’s comments suggested “mental cracks” have emerged in the Australia camp after being pushed on the backfoot by the visitors’ in the ongoing match at Perth Stadium.

“I don’t think there’s a divide in there, you probably see in great teams as well you could come off after a long day and start pointing fingers, but I don’t think there’s a divide What the Indian dressing room will be thinking when they hear something like that is we know there are some cracks on the pitch.”

“But there are some mental cracks as well in the opposition. Having come to Australia for 30-40 years, I think this is the first time an Indian team is feeling that, ‘you know what, we’re better than the opposition in their own backyard’. I don’t think an Indian team has ever thought that way. Quietly they will be thinking ‘we will have to lose it here’.”

File image of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.© AFP