In his illustrious international career which spanned over a decade, legendary Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist came across some of the finest exponents of the game.
From the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Jacques Kallis, Gilchrist got the chance to play against several modern-day legends. To be more precise, Gilchrist played against 249, 488 and 60 players in Test, One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals, respectively.
And so when he was asked to reveal the most underrated opponent he faced, he unsurprisingly took a while before coming up with a surprising answer. The former Australia batsman revealed ex-New Zealand all-rounder Craig McMillan as the most challenging rival.
“Someone who comes to mind who might have been a bit underrated but certainly challenged us and had some good tussles with was Craig McMillan for New Zealand,” Gilchrist said on The Unplayable Podcast.
“Really, really tough character and got the most out of his ability. He probably isn’t a name that everybody thinks was a superstar but I found him a real challenge and rated him highly as a cricketer,” he added.
Gilchrist and McMillan were involved in a heated exchange in 2004 in the first Test at the Gabba when the latter refused to walk after edging a ball from Jason Gillespie behind the stumps. The duo was later spotted having a conversation after the game.
Known for his unpredictability, McMillan was instrumental when New Zealand thrashed the Aussie 3-0 in the 2007 Chappell-Hadlee series. The highlight was the last game of the series where McMillan played a decisive role in helping New Zealand chase down a massive 346.
He scored a century off just 67 balls, which was the then fastest by a Kiwi batsman and was later dismissed for 117. He finished his international career with over 7,000 runs and 77 wickets across formats.
Gilchrist also revealed his fiercest rival and it was not quite surprising, as he was none other than spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan.
“The rival I found most difficult to play against was Murali,” Gilchrist said. “It’s a great rivalry because of late, getting to know him since and learning more about him, I’ve learnt he was fearful of me and I was fearful of him. It’s an interesting rivalry.
“Perception, it’s always wondering what others are doing and it can get in your mind. “He got me a number of times and there were times when I got him. Really fond memories of taking on him, the highest wicket-taker of all time, it was a thrill to be locked in a rivalry with him,” he added.
And while Muralitharan, who is the highest wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs, made life tough for batsmen, Gilchrist enjoyed a good record against the Sri Lanka. He averaged 42.55 with one century in Tests and 50.36 with six hundred in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Muralitharan, on the hand, managed to dismiss Gilchrist four times in six Tests but just twice in 32 ODIs.
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