Bengaluru: In his heyday he was a fearless batsman. In a game where batsmen play to their strengths, he stood as one who backed himself to go out there and perform without any pressure or inhibitions. Whether it is his brutal batting style or his willingness to ‘walk’ when not given out, Adam Gilchrist has always been a straight shooter on and off the ground.
The former Australian opener and wicketkeeper was in Bengaluru on Friday to announce Alankrit Jangid from Jaipur as the winner of the annual Bradman Scholarship for talented Indian cricketer to study at the University of Wollongong in Australia.
With the World Cup fast approaching and India’s tour of Australia just around the corner, Gilchrist was quite insightful about the Indian side’s chances Down Under. “Off-late it feels like nations have sort of almost gone backwards in the way they are playing overseas, but they maintain a strong hold in their home ground. That’s a general statement about world cricket at the moment and I am not sure why that is,” Gilchrist revealed.
“India showed signs in England, of getting it right and then it sort of crumbled around them. I am talking about Test cricket. Even Australians are impressive at home but not so great abroad at the moment. I am sure the Indian team would have already addressed what went wrong in England, so I see no reason why their batting line-up wouldn’t be successful in Australian condition,” said the left-hander.
The 42-year-old also lent his support to under-fire captain and wicketkeeper Mahindra Singh Dhoni, who has run into hot weather with his leadership coming in for criticism.
“I have been extremely impressed with him right from the moment he came on to the scene. His calmness is quite an extraordinary characteristic,” opined the New South Wales resident, who admitted that he hasn’t watched much of India’s performance off late.
“Although the recent results may not have gone his way, he is clearly a strong leader. He will know when the time is right to relinquish any of his duties,” he added.
With a number of bowlers, including Sunil Narine, pulled up for suspect bowling actions by the ICC and their future hanging in balance, Gilchrist believes that none of this will affect the appeal of the forthcoming World Cup.
“There was a time when Don Bradman left the game, or Sachin Tendulkar left. But cricket goes on. So I think the World Cup will be fine no matter who shows up,” he finished adding, there are three or four teams capable of winning the World Cup and that there are no clear favourites.
