Adam Gilchrist has broken his silence on his shock decision to retire from international cricket, saying he 'just knew' he had to quit.
ADELAIDE: Adam Gilchrist has broken his silence on his shock decision to retire from international cricket, saying he 'just knew' he had to quit.
Gilchrist stunned the cricket world when he announced his retirement on Saturday, just 24 hours after breaking the world record for test dismissals.
The 36-year-old released the news through a media statement and said he did not want to publicly discuss his decision until the current test between Australia and India ends on Monday.
However, the wicketkeeper-batsman agreed to provide an insight into his reasoning with a brief television interview before play resumed at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
"There's nothing sinister, or anything to hide. I just want to focus on this test," he told the Nine Network.
"There's no reason why I'm not talking openly about it, I can't wait to the end and I'll share it all then."
Gilchrist said he made his decision to retire after breaking the world record on Friday. He telephoned his parents and wife that night, then told his teammates the following morning.
"I thought about discussing it with a lot of people, past players to find out what they went through, but I just knew," he said.
"The old cliche, I wasn't sure if I'll just know, but I just knew. There was a point in time when I just knew."
Gilchrist is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to grace the game but has been facing increasing criticism about his wicketkeeping skills in recent years.
His batting average has also been dropping and although he could have played on for several more years, he decided to get out while he was still at the top.
"I feel great, really happy, a bit confused," Gilchrist said.
"Seeing the response, the amazing response from so many friends, family, supporters, opponents...it's just been unbelievable."
Gilchrist said the current match against India would be his last test appearance but he would play in the upcoming one-day international series with India and Sri Lanka before finishing up altogether.
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