Who are Adam Gilchrist's top-three wicketkeeper-batters? MS Dhoni features
What's the story
Adam Gilchrist, the legendary Australian wicket-keeper batsman, has named his top-three wicketkeeper-batters in cricket history.
The list includes Indian cricket icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni and fellow Australian great Rodney Marsh.
Interestingly, Gilchrist placed Marsh ahead of Dhoni on his list.
He expressed admiration for Marsh's skills behind the stumps during an interaction with The Times of India.
Gilchrist also picked Sri Lanka's veteran wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara on this list.
Role models
Gilchrist's admiration for Marsh and Dhoni
Gilchrist, one of cricket's finest wicketkeeper-batter himself, revealed that Marsh was his idol and role model.
He also lauded Dhoni for his calmness and composure on the field.
"Rodney Marsh, he was my idol. That's who I wanted to be," Gilchrist told The Times of India.
"MS Dhoni, I like his coolness. He did it in his way, always calm."
Final pick
Sangakkara completes Gilchrist's top three
Completing his top three list, Gilchrist chose Sri Lanka's Sangakkara.
He praised the Lankan stalwart for his class and versatility, both as a batter and a wicket-keeper.
"And Kumar Sangakkara. He was so classy in everything he did, batting high up the order and with his keeping skills," added Gilchrist.
It is worth noting that Sanga, Marsh, and Gilchrist batted left-handed.
Information
Wicket-keeping dismissals
It is interesting to note that Gilchrist has the second-most wicket-keeping dismissals in international cricket (905). He is only behind South Africa's Mark Boucher (998). Dhoni (829) and Sangakkara (678) follow Gilchrist on the third and fourth places.
Prediction
Gilchrist's predictions for upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy
On another note, Gilchrist believes the upcoming five-match Border-Gavaskar series Down Under will see an even contest between India and Australia.
Gilchrist, in the same interaction, stated that Australia are raring to prove a point, but it will be a "close tussle". "India know how to go away and win overseas, added the Australian.
Notably, Australia haven't beaten India in a Test series in nearly a decade.