For a man who had blazed to 77 in 43 deliveries, Glenn Maxwell was seething after the 44th. Off the last ball of R Ashwin’s final over (Rajasthan Royals’ 15th), the Aussie’s switch-hit did not get the elevation to go past the tall Jason Holder at backward point. It’s a shot the RCB batter fancies and the six off Yuzvendra Chahal a few overs earlier had underlined that.
Live by the sword, die by the sword. But only after he’d shattered the quality RR attack with it in a knock that won Royal Challengers Bangalore the home game on Sunday.
“I felt like it was my job to bat a little deeper,” Maxwell said later of his ire.
Coming in a lot earlier at that. The sight of Big Show walking out to bat inside the third over of an IPL innings isn’t common. It has, however, happened twice this season already. Both times the big-hitting Australian, often under the lens for blowing hot and cold in the league, has delivered at No 4.
Maxwell came in to face the second ball of the third over — Virat Kohli fell first ball of the innings and Shahbaz Ahmed first ball of the third over. With Faf du Plessis, he gave wings to RCB’s total. From smoothly driving the swinging Trent Boult delivery first ball to disrupting the rhythm of Ashwin and Chahal, Maxwell ensured RCB were always ahead in the innings despite the early setbacks.
A week earlier against Chennai Super Kings, he was sent out with RCB two down after two overs chasing 227. Maxwell’s counter-attacking 76 off 36 balls got them to within sniffing distance of the target before his dismissal in the 13th over (with RCB at 141/2) triggered an eight-run loss.
“It (No 4) is a position I don’t mind batting. I’ve done it a lot for Australia,” Maxwell, coming into this IPL after a long injury layoff, said post-match on Sunday. “Every time we’re two down in the powerplay, they (RCB) have given me the freedom to play that situation and bat how I want. It helped coming in with some pretty good form, practice games and having a good 10 days with the group. With that preparation, I suppose you get that trust within the change room.”
That trust is why RCB have been able to get more value out of Maxwell – RCB roped him in 2021 for ₹14.25 crore after two forgettable seasons with Punjab. Maxwell has batted 55 times at No 4 across 11 IPL seasons, 26 of which have been while at RCB. Only four times has the think-tank pushed him to No 5, where he has batted 28 times in IPL. Maxwell has responded to the backing, scoring 513 runs in 2021 (avg 42.75, S/R 144.10), 301 in 2022 (27.36, 169.10), and 253 in seven matches so far this season (42.17, 188.81).
Head coach Sanjay Bangar was asked during RCB’s innings if there was a thought of holding back Maxwell instead of risking their ace weapon against the new ball and Boult’s tricks with it. Bangar reasoned that Maxwell has been given the No 4 role and the freedom to be positive, no matter the game situation. “The good thing with his positive batting is that it doesn’t affect the run rate. The earlier he gets in the better,” Bangar said.
Often, teams can get fixated with holding back their power-hitter of game-turning potential until a certain stage of an innings; think Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran at Lucknow Super Giants. Or retreat to a position of solidity first at the fall of early wickets. By keeping Maxwell going at No 4 irrespective of the overs to follow, RCB’s role clarity has addressed both issues.
“When you lose two early wickets it puts you on the backfoot. But you still need to be busy and proactive. The way we played at the backend of that powerplay allowed us to get into the game and cruise through the middle overs,” Maxwell said.
[ad_2]