Adam Gilchrist, who shook the Australian cricket by announcing his immediate retirement from the Test cricket,insisted that there was nothing "sinister" about his retirement.
ADELAIDE: Adam Gilchrist, who shook the Australian cricket by announcing his immediate retirement from the Test cricket, on Sunday insisted that there was nothing "sinister" about his retirement and the timing was apt to hang up his gloves.
"There's nothing sinister or anything to hide," Gilchrist was quoted as saying in The Age.
Gilchrist's performance behind the stumps had come under scrutiny after a series of blunders during the ongoing series against India.
The left-handed batsman however admitted that spilling a simple VVS Laxman catch spurred him to go on with the retirement decision.
"There was a point in time when I just knew. I thought about discussing it with a lot of people, past players to find out what they went through, but I just knew.
"It's hard for a keeper once he's made a mistake to prove that he's got it right again because another dismissal chance might not come for another Test," Gilchrist, who revolutionised wicket-keeper's role in modern cricket, said.
"And even then you need a speccy for people to take notice. If you take the regulation one, you're meant to do that."
The 36-year-old stumper, chose to hang his gloves a day after breaking South African Mark Boucher's record of highest Test dismissals.
He also holds the ODI dismissal record with 454 dismissals in his 277 ODI's (401 caught, 53 stumped).
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell also backed Gilchrist in his decision.
"He has made a wise decision to get out at this stage. There were some signs that his keeping has started to deteriorate a bit, that also has an effect on the rest of the catching cordon, and the Australian selectors were going to have to start thinking about that," Chappell told Cricinfo.
Chappell said it was better for Gilchrist to move out of the game with his pride intact.
"A player of his worth and the performances that he has put up does not deserve to be dropped, so I think it was a very smart move by Gilchrist to retire," he said.
The ongoing fourth and final Test will be his last appearance in the longer version of the game while he will end his one-day career after the subsequent tri-series, involving Sri Lanka also.
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