His aggressive batting, his acrobatic wicket keeping skills, and his down-to-earth nature have earned him fans all over the world. Adam Gilchrist, who remains one of our favourite sporting icons, is in Chennai currently. In a candid chat with us, Gilly opens up on several topics including travel, food, lifestyle, and banter with Indian cricketers! “Travel is a wonderful by-product that comes with cricket. In that sense, I am really lucky!” starts Gilchrist, adding, “Most of my travel has come through my cricketing career. I have got to visit several countries and explored new cultures, fashion, clothing, and food.”
When we ask what his favourite travel destination is, the swashbuckling southpaw finds it hard to zero in on one. But, after a long pause, he reveals, “Sicily is awesome. I had once gone there on a holiday with my family — and a town called Taormina there is absolutely stunning. I love New Zealand too.” The three-time World Cup winner in the 50-overs format also recommends unique destinations for Indians to visit Down Under, as he’s promoting Tourism Australia now — “The Margaret river region in the southwest of Western Australia is a must-visit — you can get to see lots of vineyards there. Cities like Sydney and Melbourne are good but Tasmania is a hidden secret; it has a quieter pace and the lifestyle is wonderful. I would also like all of you to explore Northwest of Australia. It would be a one-of-its-kind experience.”
Sharing with us his experience as a tourist in India, he says, “I like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi. Dharamsala is also close to my heart for the mountains and small villages there.” He adds, “I am a fan of Indian cuisine too. Butter chicken stands on top of my priority list!”
Gilly also hopes that he gets to travel across Tamil Nadu like his friend Matthew Hayden did recently. “I messaged Hayden about it, because we both love Indian food. So after seeing him enjoy the local culture, I would like to go on a similar trip too!” he exclaims. The 44-year-old still savours memories of banter with his Indian cricketing counterparts. Reminiscing over one funny incident involving him and Virender Sehwag, Gilly says, “In one of the matches we played, all the big name players had gone back to the pavilion. Only Viru was left. So, to get him off his game, I shouted, ‘All pressure is on you Viru, don’t get nerves!’ He then turned towards me and said, ‘Nerves? I never get it’ and started scoring boundaries!”
Who are his current favourite cricketers? “Like everyone, I am a fan of Virat Kohli. He is also leading the team very well. I follow AB De Villiers and David Warner too,” he quips. On a concluding note, when we query Gilchrist if he’d ever take to acting like Brett Lee has — he grins and replies, “No, I think would have to leave that to Brett! I think he did a good job in UnIndian. But, never say never, eh? We don’t know what is there in store for us!”
