Published: Apr 30, 2013, 12:09 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 30, 2013, 12:09 PM (IST)
It takes solid sense of character to accept the shortcomings as a cricketer. For a man of the stature of Adam Gilchrist — one who has reached every pinnacle of glory as an Australian cricketer dropping himself because of underperformance must have been quite tough © IANS
Mumbai: Apr 30, 2013
It takes solid sense of character to accept the shortcomings as a cricketer. For a man of the stature of Adam Gilchrist — one who has reached every pinnacle of glory as an Australian cricketer dropping himself because of underperformance must have been quite tough. In IPL, many captains have shown that readiness to drop themselves from the team in order to maintain the balance of the side.
At the Wankhede Stadium two of the greatest cricketers of all-time and leaders of their respective franchise dropped themselves. Ricky Ponting made way for an in-form Dwayne Smith while Gilchrist emphasised the need for the younger overseas players to get their chance in the playing XI.
Punjab almost pulled off an amazing run-chase, but fell four short of Mumbai’s 174. After the game, Gilchrist talked to iplt20.com and talked about his decision to drop himself and future of Punjab in IPL 2013.
Gilchrist was proud of the way his team fought till the last ball. The Australian said: “Yes, they almost chased it down but not quite. It was a nice fighting effort when it looked like the match was going out of hand. There’s a bit of positive to take from the game.”
Gilchrist has had a lean patch in the tournament. His form was a big worry for Punjab. So at what point did he decide to drop himself? “Since the last few games we’ve had to think about it as a selection group. We had to look at the right balance and find the right players who were playing well and could contribute most to the team. It was obvious that I haven’t contributed with the runs but there are other things that I bring to the table as well. We were just trying to work out whether that outweighed the option of giving the opportunity to someone else. Shaun Marsh was fit and we had Luke Pomersbach on the sidelines as well. In the end I thought it was more compelling to give them the opportunity rather than me playing with the results I’d been getting,” said Gilchrist.
Against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, Gilchrist looked confident and set for a big knock. But somehow that big knock eluded the Punjab skipper. “Those two innings were okay but in eight games if you haven’t made a significant contribution you’re a bit of a passenger. We’ve said all along that we want to pick our team based on performance and not reputation. I’ll keep practising and if the opportunity arises, I’ll come in and nail that big one,” said Gilchrist whose highest score in the eight innings was 27 against Kolkata.
How does Gilchrist feel about his form? “There are times when you feel good about your game but fail to score runs. I’ve had more batting practice for this IPL than any other previous season. I have hit a lot of balls in the nets and have felt very comfortable. But that hasn’t translated to results in games. You can go into every fine detail of my dismissals saying I was unlucky there or the bowler was fortunate. But at the end of the day I haven’t contributed and that’s no problem when you’ve got batting talent like Shaun Marsh, Pomersbach, David Hussey and David Miller. It’s not a tough decision. It’s unfortunate and I’d love to do well but that’s not the case,” said Gilchrist.
The only cricket Gilchrist plays throughout the year is the IPL. How does he prepare himself for the tournament? Is it tough for him to play cricket for only two months a year? “I haven’t found it that tough up to this point. This is the first time that I’ve had a run of low scores like this. Who knows if that’s another year older and another year out of it. You definitely realise that you’re a little bit behind the pace year after year as compared to the guys who are playing cricket full time. Whether it’s up to the point that you can’t contribute is what you have to make up your mind eventually on,” said the three-time World Cup winning Australian wicket-keeper.
Did the thought of giving up wicket-keeping gloves and just playing as a batsman ever cross his mind? “No, never. I’ve played years and years of cricket now. So for me it’s not a case of having to focus on batting because keeping is taking up time and energy. It’s part of my nature now and part of who I am. It’s like riding a bike. Once you know it, you don’t need to focus on the skills required and think of the work load impeding on the batting. If anything, I have contributed more with the gloves than with the bat this year and so I am lucky to have my keeping gloves on,” said Gilchrist.
Gilchrist has been both the team mentor and a leader. In which role has Gilchrist evolved more? Gilchrist said: “That’s an interesting question. I’ve never sat back and thought about how I have evolved in a single role. Right from the first IPL I’ve tried to bring in all my all-round cricketing experience into the two sides I’ve been part of (Deccan Chargers and KXIP). I’ve tried to use my batting, keeping, captaincy and leadership skills to create an environment in the team. It’s all part of the package.”
Gilchrist is impressed with young South African David Miller. He said: “Just his (Miller’s) personality. He’s one of the most lovely young blokes you’ll come across. His appetite for learning and his work ethic to complement his clean striking are all excellent. He’s been in the IPL since three years and has done a lot of watching for the first two years. Now that he’s got his chance you can see how well he has developed. He’s growing at the international scene as well for South Africa.”
Cricket aficionados were awaiting Gilchrist vs Ponting contest but both the stalwarts missed out. “We both got splinters sitting on our backside on the wooden bench (laughs). I do look forward to the contest when MI come to Mohali but not in any way other than getting two points over his team. I look forward to seeing him and having a drink with him tonight. It was funny, we were chatting to each other before the game about sitting on the bench and that’s the way it is. There are worse things you could be doing in life,” said erstwhile Australian ‘keeper who has played 96 Tests for Australia.
What does Gilchrist think about Punjab’s resources? “Talking about the resources of the teams, you’ve only got to look at the salaries paid out by teams to figure out which is a white collar team and which is a blue collar one. We’re a blue collar team and that’s not for a moment questioning our owners. That’s the kind of franchise we are. MI have paid over 12 million dollars to their players; they have a bloke they’re paying a million dollars who doesn’t even look like getting a game (Glenn Maxwell). When you have more money to dispose it’s going to allow you better selection. That doesn’t mean our franchise is of lesser value as people. We are a team of grinders; we fight really hard and we don’t have any ego around the team. It’s a lovely atmosphere to play in,” said the legendary Australian.
