‘I told Matthew Hayden am done’ - Adam Gilchrist reveals what made him retire from cricket, watch video

Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was a guest on the Club Prairie Fire Podcast. The three-time ODI World Cup winner revealed an interesting story behind his retirement from the sport in 2008. Gilchrist said that the decision was made when he dropped VVS Laxman's catch during the Adelaide Test. 

The former Aussie wicketkeeper played in 96 Tests before retiring after the Adelaide Test. Gilchrist said “Funny thing happened when India were in Australia the last time I played against them. I was trying to attempt to take a catch off the bowling of Brett Lee. And the night before I had been on the phone with my wife all night working out the travel plans because we were touring the West Indies after the India series”

Gilchrist tells an amazing story of India 🇮🇳 touring Australia 🇦🇺 and how VVS Laxman played a huge part in him retiring.pic.twitter.com/n2CpeygjxW

— Don Cricket 🏏 (@doncricket_) September 24, 2024

The legendary player also added “On that tour, I was probably going to get myself up to 99 Tests and then after that, we were going to tour India and that's where I would have played my 100th and joined an elite group of Australian Test cricketers and a few others around the world,"

Adam Gilchrist reveals dropped catch made him retire from the game

During the course of the podcast, the former Aussie star recounted and said “Then the next day, I attempted to take a catch off the outside edge of VVS Laxman, dropped it, an absolute soda, as simple as it gets. The ball hit the ground and I looked at the replay on the big screen, looked at it again and again and again and it went probably 32 times”

As soon as he dropped the catch, Adam Gilchrist turned to longtime ODI opening partner Matthew Hayden and confided in his decision to retire. “I turned to Matthew Hayden and said I'm done, I'm out. From the ball hitting the glove to the ball hitting the grass, in an instant, I realized it was time to retire. Don't worry about the tour of the West Indies, don't worry about the 100th Test in India, that was the decision made for me to give up Test cricket."

For his part, Hayden tried to change his teammates' minds and discourage Gilchrist from retiring. “A lot of realization came to me and I said to Hayden 'Mate, I'm done, I'm out.' He looked at me just very quickly and said, 'Come on mate, don't beat yourself up, it's not the first one of those you dropped and it probably won't be the last, let's face it. Good support from a teammate, but that was a moment in an Indian series in Australia that I remember - the definitive moment of my Test career and have never regretted it since”