After being educated at St Stithians College in Johannesburg, Gilchrist moved to England in 2016 to attend King's College, Taunton, initially on a three-month cricket exchange programme from St Stithians.
[2][5] In August 2020 he joined Kent, initially on loan for the remainder of the 2020 season with a three-year contract which began in November 2020.
[6] Gilchrist made his first-class cricket debut for Kent on 22 August 2020, playing in a 2020 Bob Willis Trophy match against Surrey at The Oval,[7] and his List A cricket debut on 28 July 2021 against Lancashire in the 2021 Royal London One-Day Cup.
[8] On 1 May 2022, after being dismissed for a pair in a County Championship match at Headingley, Gilchrist equalled the record of six consecutive ducks in first-class cricket.
[9] Gilchrist signed a new one-year contract with Kent in October 2024 following a season where he took 19 County Championship wickets at an average of 42.68 in 12 appearances.