Furball
Evil Scotsman
Sehwag "suffered" from exactly the same. There is an inverse correlation between average and strike rates for opening batsmen in ODIs. A mid 30s average is perfectly respectable when you're striking at 90+.
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Gilly, Dhoni or AB?
- Thread starter Fuller Pilch
- Start date
Furball
Evil Scotsman
The point is that it was Gilchrist that provided the platform for the likes of Ponting to really dominate. Ponting consistently came in against bowlers that were already under the pump because Gilchrist had flogged them about a bit.
harsh.ag
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I agree. But that doesn't mean he was sacrificing some part of his game.
viriya
International Captain
It's unlikely that Gilly's average would've been much better.. Sehwag struck at 80+ in test level with a ~50 average while Gilly wasn't even close to that.
Spark
Global Moderator
Because it benefitted the team more? That's T_C's whole point.
Furball
Evil Scotsman
Gilchrist struck at 80 with a 47 average, what's your point?
Spark
Global Moderator
yes, such a massive difference between 49.3 @ 82 and 47.6 @ 82. truly vast.
What about it? Sehwag has a strike rate of 104 and he also averages 35. If I wanted a mid-thirties averaging slogger to open the batting that's who I would pick. But I wouldn't pick him either as there are so many better candidates. Not to mention that AB's strike rate is also better than Gilchrist's and he manages to average over fifty while scoring so quickly.
Furball
Evil Scotsman
Furball
Evil Scotsman
AB doesn't open ffs. You're not comparing like for like, AB is irrelevant in this discussion.
Top_Cat
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Because he was asked to - going the slap was not his natural game. He started in the middle order and had built his career to that point basically digging WA out of the mire from the lower order playing the gaps and going hard for the last 5. He evolved the way he did because it kept him in the side. He kept his place because when he came off, a win was assured but the threat that he might come off meant runs for the others in the line-up.
harsh.ag
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I just don't get how Gilchrist playing fast translates to him sacrificing some part of his game. I think he was just trying to do what he was best at.
Now, if his team's bowling attack was weak, or if the batting following him was really sedate, then I could see how it can be argued that he played a little more recklessly than he would have preferred to speed things up and get a competitive total. It's the opposite here.
Now, if his team's bowling attack was weak, or if the batting following him was really sedate, then I could see how it can be argued that he played a little more recklessly than he would have preferred to speed things up and get a competitive total. It's the opposite here.
harsh.ag
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Okay, didn't know that. Makes sense.
But he played like that in the tests too. His record is very much like Sehwag's when it comes to test batting. Seems to suggest going fast comes naturally to him. But opening the batting can be a different ball game obviously, so that must have been tougher.
The topic asks which of AB, Dhoni and Gilchrist I would pick as keeper for an all-time ODI side while not being able to pick any of them as specialist batsmen. AB is very pertinent in that discussion. Gilchrist is also the most expandable player under those parameters as the other two are better batsmen than him.
Spark
Global Moderator
He played like that in Tests from #7, where he often did exactly what T_C described sans the "going hard in the last 5 overs".
harsh.ag
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
It still doesn't make much sense to me as to why he would have to do anything he was uncomfortable with in order to justify his place in the ODI side. He was obviously the best wicket-keeper batsman in the world, and I still have a little bit of difficulty believing that Australia actually "needed" him to do what he did at the top of the order as such.
watson
Banned
Because Dhoni has a reputation for being a good finisher I had naturally assumed that his second innings stats would be better than his first innings stats. However, this is not the case;
Dhoni
First Innings: RpI = 41 SR = 94
Second Innings: RpI = 33 SR = 82
Also contrary to perception - Gilchrist seems to have performed better when chasing a total and when his side won. Perhaps Australia did rely somewhat on his opening batting despite having such a good middle order;
Gilchrist
First Innings: RpI = 32 SR = 93
Second Innings: RpI = 37 SR = 101
Gilchrist
Won: RpI = 39 SR = 99
Lost: RpI = 24 SR = 90
Blogs: The ODI batting giants: part 2 | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo
Dhoni
First Innings: RpI = 41 SR = 94
Second Innings: RpI = 33 SR = 82
Also contrary to perception - Gilchrist seems to have performed better when chasing a total and when his side won. Perhaps Australia did rely somewhat on his opening batting despite having such a good middle order;
Gilchrist
First Innings: RpI = 32 SR = 93
Second Innings: RpI = 37 SR = 101
Gilchrist
Won: RpI = 39 SR = 99
Lost: RpI = 24 SR = 90
Blogs: The ODI batting giants: part 2 | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo
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