Published: May 04, 2015, 06:40 AM (IST)
Edited: May 04, 2015, 06:40 AM (IST)
Glenn Maxwell would have been waiting to get to the Indian Premier League (IPL), but his returns in this tournament have been far from ideal. Nikhil Popat has a closer look at his performance in IPL 2015 and tries to decipher the case of ‘The Big Show’.
Coming off a superb ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Glenn Maxwell would have been very confident of scoring a plenty of runs in IPL 2015. He scored as many as runs in just eight matches, playing game-changing innings in terms of providing them the big finish. He scored as many as 324 runs in just six innings at an average of 64.80, recording a whopping strike rate of 182.02. He had three scores of over 50 and all seemed hunky-dory at home for the Australian batsmen.
In IPL 2015, he has scored just 74 runs in six innings, averaging a mere 12.33. Though the strike rate has gone up, his highest score is 33 and the most number of balls he has faced in an innings so far is 26. In the others, he has not even lasted 10 balls. Reason? Getting out after trying to get going too early. Let’s us have a closer look at his dismissals. READ: Glenn Maxwell blames World Cup high for dip in form
First game, facing Rajasthan Royals at Pune, Maxwell comes in when Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) are 32 for two in two overs chasing 163. There is no hurry but Maxwell having played four balls, and having already scored a boundary wants to get going. He makes room and mistimes one to mid off. Next game, spinner is brought in against him to get him out. He obliges by holing out to mid-wicket for a score of six in four balls. Against Delhi Daredevils, he came down the order and was out trying to look for quick runs anyway, so one can excuse that. READ: Glenn Maxwell impresses with golf skills
His highest score came when he was relatively sedate and built an innings, scoring 33 in 26 balls with just four hits to the fence. He was dropped when his top-edge off the bowling of Rahul Tewatia was caught when he had faced just five balls in the innings. He was too eager to get going. He was dropped for a couple of games then. IPL 2015: Complete Coverage
He came back against Mumbai Indians today, and he looked good when he wanted to get in, rotated the strike. J Suchith comes on, the same man who had dismissed him earlier in the tournament in Mumbai. What does he do? He reverse sweeps, gets a top-edge over the slip cordon for a boundary. The wise men would be careful, but this is Maxwell. He attempts the same shot the very next ball, and finds Vinay Kumar. He trudges off the field head down, there are no smiles, no mocking faces this time from him. Surely, even he must be disappointed with himself? IPL 2015: Points Table and Team Standings
This is not something new to him. He’s done this umpteen times in the past. Trying to go early and getting out while playing a rash shot. There is a reason why it did not work. It was something he did so well in the World Cup in Australia. He gave himself time, be it his maiden ODI hundred that he scored against Sri Lanka, or the calm and collected cameo against Pakistan, where Wahab Riaz bowled the spell of his life. Maxwell was ready to get in, give himself at least 10 balls to get going. IPL 2015: Schedule with venue details
In IPL 2015, he has been too eager to go after the bowling at an early stage of the innings, and that has resulted in the flurry of low scores and a lot of fury among the fans. When those shots come off, they look magnificent, but the chances of them clearing the ropes would be better if Maxwell gave himself more time at the crease. He usually bats in top four, and given the form of the KXIP openers, he gets to bat in the first half of the innings anyway. If he can curb his aggression, get used to the pitch, and be a bit more selective in his shot selection, he will do wonders.
He doesn’t need to change his natural game. He showed in the World Cup that he had started to hit the ball in the air—in the best zones possible—down the ground. He kept scoring runs heavily because he had a plan, a method to his madness. As of now, the mid-wicket fence seems to be tempting for him but if he can put his head down and do a bit of soul-searching, he will know that all he needs to do is get through the first 10 balls without going too hard and then pick the right balls and right areas to get going. KXIP may not qualify for the playoffs with the way they have been playing but they will not mind a couple of big scores from The Big Show!
(Nikhil Popat is a cricket lover and a PotterHead. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
