India vs Australia: “You need to play with Glenn Maxwell’s ego” – Aakash Chopra advises Indian bowlers

India vs Australia: “You need to play with Glenn Maxwell’s ego” – Aakash Chopra advises Indian bowlers
Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell’s return to form has been one of the biggest talking points of the ongoing ODI series between India and Australia. India have lost the first two matches meaning the third ODI will be an inconsequential one that is played only for pride. The tale of both the matches has been similar with Australia batting first and putting on a big score.

In both matches, Glenn Maxwell has applied the finishing touches to the Australian innings. If his 45 runs off 19 balls was explosive and delightful to watch while it lasted, he followed it up with an unbeaten 63 off just 29 balls in the next match. The series marks a roaring return to form Maxwell who struggled to get going in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Turning up for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the all-rounder managed just 108 runs from 13 matches, a tally that he has better in just 2 games here (albeit ODIs). More incredibly, the 32-year-old wasn’t able to hit a single six in the IPL while in the first two ODIs he has hit 7 maximums. His return to form bodes well for Australia but not so much for India.

‘For Australia, he is max and in IPL, he is min’ – Chopra

Akash-Chopra-IPL
Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opening batsman Aakash Chopra spoke about Glenn Maxwell’s form on his YouTube channel. “The IPL story is normally not the story of international cricket, when it is about Glenn Maxwell. In the IPL he seems to be struggling but when he plays for Australia, he becomes max while in the IPL he is mini. The way Glenn Maxwell stands at the crease; he seems like a woodcutter. He is only looking to hit on the leg side and not concerned about the off side at all,” said Chopra in his video.

Chopra then had a piece of advice for the Indian bowlers on how to bowl to Maxwell. “His [Maxwell’s] problem is nose and toes. So, you should employ a fast bowler at the start and bowl him at his toes and then his nose or vice versa. You need play with his ego because he is an egoistic player. If you bowl a bouncer, he will go after it. If you bowl a yorker, he would remove his feet and play. And when you try all that, you can get him out. So, better you shouldn’t do length bowling , rather try to get him out right from the outset,” said Chopra.

The cricketer-turned-analyst then signed off with another piece of advice; this time for spinners. “Spinners need to bowl wider and slower to Maxwell, making him hit over the covers. He will not be able to play the reverse sweep as well as he won’t get the strength on the shot,” he said.

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