Widely regarded as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman cricket has ever seen, the Australian was a force with the bat and gloves.
Gilchrist, who turns 44 today, played 96 Test matches for Australia, finishing with 5,570 runs and an average of 47.60 in that format, while knocking 9,619 runs at an average of 35.89 in ODIs.
He’s the only player to have hit 100 sixes in Test cricket and was the first to reach 1,000 runs in the Indian Premier League.
Gilchrist also held the record for most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in ODIs with 472 until Kumar Sangakkara passed the mark in 2015.
He not only led with his play, but was the vice captain for Australia in both Tests and ODIs. Gilchrist hung up his gloves and retired from international cricket in 2008, but left with World Cup glory achieved in 1999, 2003 and 2007. His final IPL season with Kings XI Punjab came in 2013.
1966: Curt Schilling, former MLB starting pitcher, three-time World Series champion and six-time All-Star (49).
1985: Thomas Vermaelen, Belgian footballer for Barcelona and the Belgium national team (30).
1989: T.Y. Hilton, wide receiver for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and 2014 Pro Bowler (26).
1991: Taylor Hall, Canadian ice hockey player for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and 2010 first overall draft pick (24).
