I gave my heart to a stranger

I have goosebumps as I sit down to write this piece today. And more than ever I can't wait to get on writing.

Thoughts are running at breakneck speeds and I even finding it difficult to put them together to paint the picture I want. To begin simply I might as well say the reason behind it all. Adam Gilchrist retired, and perhaps for the last time went to the middle with that famous bat in hand.

And today.. just for today I'd like to give farsan an off.

While "Gilly" walked down to the sunset, Harsha Bhogle kept saying.. "perhaps there is more than just a lump in his throat" .. Gilchrist himself had admitted in an interview to Bhogle that he would be shattered when the day came. I can't say anything about others but I assure that there is at least one soul more that's feeling the same (ya baba.. me only).

I searched the web to find what people have written about this surprising turn of event. And I was left disappointed to say the least. There was nothing to match him.. I am sure the odes will follow soon once the match finishes and we get a lot more time to reflect on his glory.

I never thought I'd feel like this for a player from another country retiring. I mean I admired Steve Waugh a lot but didn't feel all that much when hung his boots at Sydney four years back. This was different. I almost didn't want him to get out. I couldn't watch when the cameras followed when he was walking off the field, and when he finally crossed the ropes I didn't want the walk to stop., nor the cameras.. perhaps I was looking to seize that moment forever.

I have no special reason to feel this way. Adam Gilchrist was not my hero like a Tendulkar or Dravid. In fact I am at a loss for words here to describe anything. The fact is I never realized that I harbored any sense of bonding with this guy till the news broke yesterday. It was almost as if he had been taken for granted and then you realize..

"wait a minute, he won't be there the next time this team takes field"

And as these words lie before me, I am sure they echo the feelings of many others the world over.

I do not know Gilchrist, never met him, I don't even know anything about him apart from what he did when he came out for his country on the cricket field. Yet my heart sank today. I gave my heart to a stranger.

Gilly changed the game, he turned it on its head showing how a wicket-keeper isn't just about ..well wicket-keeping. He gave careers to men like Dhoni. Many more might come to stake claim but Gilchrist will remain the one.. the one that started it all.

It is indeed a proud moment for many of us that we saw on the greats of this game walk in our generation. On a personal note it just makes me wonder what will happen to me when Dravid and Tendulkar bid adieu.. can't think of it!

A decade of destruction will be celebrated every time Adam Gilchrist walks on to the field this February, and ..

man this is unreal.. let's just say.. the lump was not just in Gilly's throat today..