Adam Gilchrist has heaped praise on Ben Foakes for his stellar performance behind the stumps in India, labelling him the best wicketkeeper he’s ever seen to spin bowling.
Gilchrist said on his podcast Club Prairie Fire . I say Ben Foakes is the best bowling wicketkeeper I’ve ever seen. And then again, I haven’t really seen him with his back to the stumps. Because for some reason they don’t want to play him when there’s not a lot of spin going on. What he did in the second Test match was unbelievable. The catches he takes under the edge of spin bowlers are just pure class. ”
His comments came in the wake of Foakes’ excellent performance in the Rajkot Test match. On the second morning, as England looked to end India’s first innings, Foakes blinked and would miss the catch that would have ended Dhruv Jurel’s debut victory. Jurel tried to push Rehan Ahmed’s ball from offside, but he managed to get it over the top. Foakes stood firm against the off-spinner and pocketed the ball safely despite it going wide off his bat.
The catch was similar to Foakes’ catch in the second Test match when he fended off an under edge. On this occasion, Shreyas Iyer tried to hit Tom Hartley’s ball forcefully from the offside, but Foakes reacted to the change in trajectory and was able to deflect the catch from the underside in an instant.
When asked if the hardest thing for a wicketkeeper to do is catch shots from the under-edge while standing on the stumps, Gilchrist said: ‘Yes. I’m not as skilled as someone like Fawkes. ”This is the hardest catch I had in mind. You have to rise with the ball and then suddenly fall again. But his hands are just butter. ”
Foakes returned to England’s Test team for the first match of the series against India after almost a year. He was dropped after the England series in New Zealand in early 2023, when Jonny Bairstow returned from injury. Harry Brook was scheduled to play in the series against India, but had to return home before the first match due to personal reasons, giving Foakes a place to return.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
