KEY POINTS:
Austrailia's record-breaking Adam Gilchrist, hard on the heels of saying he had no plans to retire, has retired.
Gilchrist made the shock announcement - his retirement from all forms of cricket - at the end of the third day's play against India in the fourth test at Adelaide, meaning this will be his last game for Australia.
Just a day before, Gilchrist had provoked thoughts he may become the first wicketkeeper to secure 500 test dismissals, maybe in a race with South African Mark Boucher.
Gilchrist bettered Boucher's world record when he caught Indian captain Anil Kumble shortly after the tea interval on the second day of the fourth and final test on Friday. The catch gave Gilchrist his 414th victim, eclipsing Boucher's record of 413, and added another milestone to his glittering career.
While Gilchrist pronounced himself "thrilled", he also took the opportunity to slap back at critics who have hinted that his best wicketkeeping days might have been behind him - as when he grassed a catch from India's VVS Laxman in Adelaide.
Gilchrist has been vocal about other criticism of the Australian team recently - principally those who didn't like the Australians' behaviour during the first test against India in Sydney - but said he'd always had to maintain a high standard with his keeping.
"Otherwise, people would pounce [on a lapse] very quickly. I've made a lot of mistakes, if you rock for 96 test matches you are going to make the odd mistake."
He believes his success with the bat has unwittingly detracted from his glovework and he has been heavily criticised at times.
"However, I've used that as an incentive to help motivate me.
"More often than not, I feel I've maintained a high standard. I've made mistakes, yes, but some critics out there have been very quick to pounce on me. But, then, as Anil [Kumble] said last week, you use that as a bit of inspiration and encouragement to keep going.
"It comes down to concentration - whether you're switched on for every ball. Very rarely, if ever, can I remember having dropped a catch or missed a stumping and being able to tell myself that I was fully focused on that delivery.
" I've usually had something on my mind or I just wandered off and got exposed.
"I heard somebody say on the TV today that I keep defending my position all the time in press conferences. At the end of the day, you might try not to listen to comments, but then somebody will send you a text message... So, you listen... You then get angry..."
On retirement, Gilchrist said earlier: "I'll let the public and the
press know when I make a decision. It could be tomorrow, could be in 12 months' time.
It turned out to be tomorrow - as in yesterday. .
"Look, it has to come from within... There comes a time when players know it's time [to bow out].
Breaking records is nothing new, although most of his feats have been with the bat. The lefthander has long been regarded as one of the most exciting players of his generation.
However, Gilchrist is the only wicketkeeper in test history to have twice made 25 or more dismissals and score more than 300 runs in a series. "I've always felt there have been some critics out there that have been quick to pounce, but it's those critics that you use as a little bit of inspiration and encouragement to keep going."
At 36, Gilchrist has little else to achieve. He has played in three World Cup winning sides and had the honour of captaining his country, even though he waited longer than most to get his chance to play for Australia.
Gilchrist was included in the Australian one-day team in 1996 as an opening batsman and wicketkeeper but did not make his test debut for another three years, despite playing 76 limited-overs internationals and helping his country win the 1999 World Cup.
It was not until Ian Healy, Australia's last world record holder for wicketkeeping dismissals, retired in November 1999 that Gilchrist finally got his test chance.
After waiting so long, Gilchrist was always in a hurry to make up for lost time and apart from his dismissals - made up of 377 catches and 37 stumpings - he has also scored 5,556 runs at an average of 47.89, plus 17 hundreds and a high score of 204 not out - with one or possibly two more innings left to play.
"I just want to keep playing, I've been enjoying it," he said.
"I've had the best of the best... [Shane] Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, all of them have been brilliant.
"I've had the best journey keeping to those blokes, they are why I can sit here and talk about this record."