The "Walker" walks away!

What does it take to become a wicketkeeper?

Concentration, fitness, hard work, technique, etc.

What does it take to become a wicketkeeper batsman?

The aforementioned aspects plus batting skills.

What does it take to become an Aussie gloveman?

All of these honed to the finest levels.

What does it take to become Adam Gilchrist / Gilly / Church?

Everything cited earlier plus an ability to display fine sporstsmanship, be it in the appreciation of a good ton by an opponent, or the mammoth honesty to walk back to the pavilion on judging his own dismissal amidst an era of "professional cricketers", even if the Aussie batting line up is in dire straits, or the sheer ability to have appeared in ninety five tests incessantly, or the capacity to guard wickets for fifty long overs and bat through an equal number of overs, demolishing the opposition in the process?

Yes, his retirement has indeed marked the end of an era. Wicketkeeping never looked easier and batting for wicketkeepers could not have been defined better. At 37, in the series against India, Gilly said adieu, the test at Adelaide being his last. With the record for the most number of dismissals, the man has had a befitting career in both, the long and short versions of the game. In the lineage of great glovemen like Rodney Marsh and Ian Healy that Australia has produced, Gilly seems to be special, particulary for his ability to live up to the benchmarks and his credentials with the willow.

Who should be feeling proud of Gilly now? His family? Cricket Australia? Contemporary cricketers? Or Gilly himself?

In my opinion, the proudest should be the game of cricket.