Top glove-men in the modern era

Keeping the superstars of cricket aside, some of the most industrious cricketers of the modern era have been those who have dabbled with the dual responsibility of wicket-keeping and batting. With the evolution of cricket into a hugely competitive and intense sport, it’s become impossible for a keeper to stake his claim by merely being a whiz with the gloves as he is now expected to also contribute with the bat to add to his spine-taxing role behind the stumps. One of the first names that come to mind is the destructive Adam Gilchrist, the dependable yet under-rated Mark Boucher and the earnest Rahul Dravid who all collectively gave the role of wicket-keeper-batsman additional connotations with uninhibited success. I’ve deliberately refrained from including MS Dhoni & Kumar Sangakkara in this list as I believe with the responsibility of captaincy, they belong to an entirely different category.

Adam Gilchrist

It’s an arduous task to summarize the feats of Gilly (as he was popularly known during his stellar career), who along with his brilliant keeping skills, was one of the few batsmen who took aggressive batting to unprecedented heights.

As keeper, Gilly had the hardest job of keeping wickets to bowling greats such as Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath – an obvious indication that proved his excellence behind the stumps. As an attacking opening batsman in ODIs, he blasted his way to several significant knocks and was an influential factor in Australia’s run of success in the late nineties and early noughties. Moreover, he was a gentleman and a great entertainer who was impossible to stifle once he hit the right notes. Even though he batted at no.7 in Tests, Gilly dominated bowling attacks scoring runs at a brisk rate notching up 17 centuries. Batting averages of 35.90 in ODIs and 47.60 in Tests prove how effective he was with the bat and with his brilliance behind the stumps, Gilly was indeed one from a rare breed.

On occasions when opposition bowling line-ups got the better of the top order, Gilchrist batted like a champion to snatch the momentum back in Australia’s favor. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that in the 96 Test matches that he has played in, Australia emerged victorious 73 times! Some might argue pointing out that he wasn’t the best wicket-keeper but as wicket-keeper-batsman, he was incomparable. He is without doubt, one of the greatest glove-men to have ever graced the game currently holding the record of maximum dismissals in ODIs (417) along with a ridiculously high strike-rate in all forms of the game. He also holds the unique distinction of having won three World Cup titles in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

Mark Boucher

With a tremendous appetite for victory, Boucher has been one of South Africa’s best cricketers. A player with a remarkable attitude and steely determination, Boucher easily makes the list of best utility players in cricket. In fact, ‘utility’ might be an under-statement considering how well he has performed in all formats of the game.

As a wicket-keeper, he grew in stature to become one of the best stumpers in the game and recently achieved the distinction of 500 Test dismissals to boast of on his illustrious resume. To successfully carry out the job of keeping wickets to express bowlers such as Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel over the years is no mean achievement and Boucher accomplished this in the most professional manner.

As batsman, very rarely do you see him gift his wicket to the opposition. With the ability to switch gears depending on the situation of a game, he has earned the tag of being one of the best finishers in the game carrying the team to victory on several occasions in moments of crisis. Coming lower down the order in ODIs, a batting average of 28.80 is exceptional and speaks volumes of his capabilities with the bat. With an average of 30.70 in Tests, Boucher is without doubt, an immensely talented and gifted cricketer.

Rahul Dravid

Dravid is the epitome of discipline and hard work; a perfect role model to any aspiring cricketer both on and off the field. Not one to hog the limelight, Dravid has always been content playing second fiddle to his more illustrious partners. It’s a pity that his contributions have always paled in comparison with the Tendulkars, the Gangulys and the Sehwags because his batting approach, though immensely effectual, is not tailor-made for the masses but the classes. However, one cannot underestimate the value of having a player like Dravid in the ranks. Apart from being one of the most successful and reliable batsmen in all forms of the game, he proved his credentials as a team player to the core when he agreed to don the keeper’s gloves in ODIs to help the team accommodate an extra batsman and boy, how he faced up to the challenge!

It was during this period that Indian cricket surged forward under Ganguly’s captaincy. Handing the gloves to Dravid proved to be a masterstroke for Team India in the early noughties though it took him a while to come to grips with the gloves. However, his batting average never suffered a dip in spite of having taken on the responsibility and he played some of his most valuable ODI knocks as keeper-batsman.

Apart from these three stalwarts, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Moin Khan were other players who succeeded playing the dual role in ODIs; the former going after the bowling to set the tone for others to follow while the latter, a shrewd batsman coming lower down the order bailing the team out on many an occasion with significant contributions. With the changing tides of the game, the wicket-keeper has a much more pivotal role to play in today’s game to help the team embrace more attacking options to outwit opposition teams.