When 'Greatest' IPL Bowler Adam Gilchrist Took A Wicket For Punjab & Did 'Gangnam Style' Dance
It was the time when Punjab Kings was called Kings XI Punjab back in the 2013 Indian Premier League season. In a memorable match, the Punjab side clashed with Mumbai Indians at Dharamshala's Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium. MI skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and invited KXIP to bat first in the final league fixture for both teams.
Adam Gilchrist's last appearance in IPL
KXIP lost both their openers-Adam Gilchrist and Mandeep Singh-early on, but a 148-run third wicket stand between Azhar Mahmood (80 from 44 balls) and inaugural edition Orange Cap winner Shaun Marsh (47-ball 63) helped the Mohali-based side post a fighting total of 183 for 8 in their 20 overs.
Chasing a target of 184 to win, MI struggled to find their footing and could only score 133 runs, falling short by 50 runs.
It was MI's fifth defeat in 16 league stage matches of the 2013 season. They finished second in the points table despite having the same 22 points as Chennai Super Kings, which edged ahead because of their superior net run rate.
The 69th match of the IPL 2013 marked the last appearance of Australian legend Adam Gilchrist in the world's richest franchise cricket league. Gilchrist, who had bid goodbye to all three formats of the game in 2008, was solely participating in the IPL.
'Greatest' IPL bowler Adam Gilchrist stole the show
In his final game in the Indian Premier League, the Australian left-handed batter surprised everyone by picking up the ball to bowl the final over of the Mumbai Indians' run chase. Fast-bowler Praveen Kumar took the gloves in his absence. To everyone's amazement, Gilchrist picked up a wicket on the only ball he bowled in his cricket career.
Star Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was at the crease, and he went for a big shot against the part-timer, only to be caught out at long on by Gurkeerat Singh for five off eight balls.
After picking his first and only wicket in his IPL career with his sole delivery, Gilchrist went wild with his celebrations, running across the pitch and ending his jubilations with the 'Gangnam style' dance.
Notably, Gilchrist only bowled a single ball in his entire IPL career, which happened to be in his last match¡ªand?managed to take a wicket with that one ball, leading his team to victory.?
This means, statistically, he is considered the best bowler in IPL history, by a long shot.
Let's break down his remarkable stats: His bowling average and economy rate are both 0.00, meaning he didn't give away any runs. He also managed to bowl a dot ball every time he bowled, achieving a perfect 100% dot ball percentage. His strike rate, which measures how often he takes a wicket, is 1.00, indicating he took a wicket with his only ball.
Simply put, if Gilchrist had bowled from both ends, he would have had the opposition team struggling at 0-10 in just 10 balls. However, rules don't allow one player to bowl from both ends, which keeps the game fair and competitive.
It's unfortunate that Gilchrist didn't get to showcase more of his bowling talent after this one remarkable moment. Nevertheless, his bowling record remains flawless: one ball bowled, one wicket taken, and no runs conceded. It's an impressive feat for a gentleman cricketer like Gilchrist.
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