Glenn Maxwell is in sensational batting form in the ongoing IPL 2021 in UAE. He has been one of the major reasons behind the change of RCB fortunes in the T20 league. And, former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels the same and he lavished praise on Maxwell post his match-winning performance against Punjab Kings on Sunday evening.
RCB got off to a decent start in the match against PBKS. But, Moises Henriques’s dismissing Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal brought PBKS once again back in the match. Afterward, the responsibility to score good innings with the bat came on the shoulders of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers. And, the Aussie produced a magical performance in order to live up to the expectations of management.
Sanjay Manjrekar credits Maxwell batting form for RCB success in IPL 2021
The star Aussie all-rounder smashed 55 runs off 36 balls against his former franchise and won the Man of the Match award. He managed to gather three boundaries and four sixes during his scintillating knock with his willow.
Post-match, Sanjay Manjrekar said that Maxwell’s sensational batting form is one of the major reasons behind RCB’s dream run in the IPL 2021. The former player asserted that he is chipping the boundaries and sixes all across the park from the word go in the game.
“… You have got a Maxwell coming in and playing the way he does; RCB’s story has been about Maxwell finding form after the UAE leg,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo. He also appreciated the efforts of Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Manjrekar added that Maxwell came to bat when RCB was in need of a responsible knock from the middle-order. Interestingly, he fired runs and helped his team in posting a respectable and defendable total of 164 runs in stipulated 20 overs. In the end, PBKS fell short by 6 runs and lost a crucial game.
“Came in at a nice time to bat. Lucky to hit the first couple of risks out of the middle. I feel like in the last two years of IPL I have batted nicely. To have it set up by the openers today gave us some time to get an idea of the wicket. Coming into RCB they wanted me to do the exact same role (as with Australia). This (Sharjah) is probably the most difficult to adjust to. The spinners get it to skid on which means you have to be sharper at the start of your innings.”
Glenn Maxwell is currently having one of his best IPL seasons with the bat. He has smashed 407 runs in 12 games with a strike rate of 145.35.
