IPL 2021: “Very nice start for me” – Glenn Maxwell reflects on his Man of the Match performance

IPL 2021: “Very nice start for me” – Glenn Maxwell reflects on his Man of the Match performance

Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell inspired Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to victory with a mature knock in the first innings on tricky conditions to bat on at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Even as the rest of the batters collapsed around him with the exception of skipper Virat Kohli with whom he put on a good stand, Maxwell’s innings was a one-man show.

His 59 runs in 41 balls which ended off the last ball of the innings ensured that RCB set 150 as the target. Had it not been for the Aussie all-rounder’s display of hitting, the target might well have been below 130. Maxwell was also a livewire on the field as he took the important catch of Wriddhiman Saha who was the first wicket to fall. The Aussie was awarded the Man of the Match for his performance.

Glenn Maxwell and bowling heroes for RCB react to win

RCB
RCB

Glenn Maxwell spoke at the presentation about RCB’s win and said, “It’s a very nice start, new franchise for me and they have given me a specific role. To start like this is really nice. It’s nice to have batters behind you, you have freedom and that’s almost close to the role I have in the Australian cricket team. It’s just about getting myself in and then go for the runs. Probably having those guys behind me is a luxury at RCB. I suppose the coaching effect is there to an extent as well.”

Shahbaz Ahmed who picked up three wickets and turned the game around for RCB said, “It was a tough situation (bowling the 17th over), but I am happy that the captain trusted my ability. There was a bit of help from the surface and I exploited it. I was confident about bowling another over, but Siraj was bowling well and deserved to bowl. Bairstow’s catch was important (considering the situation), and I was happy that I got to hold another chance.“

Harshal Patel who was assured at the death said, “I have been told that I will be bowling the pressure overs and I’m really happy that captain has that faith in me. All the games here have such a trend that you can only score when the ball is hard and it gets really difficult when the ball gets softer. Looking at all the games that happened here, it’s always important to stay in the game and never give up.“

RCB play their next game against Kolkata Knight Riders on the 18th of April.

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