For The Amount Of Money He Has Been Bought For, He Has Been Too Hot And Cold: Gautam Gambhir On Glenn Maxwell
Updated - 02 Oct 2020, 10:31 PM
Gautam Gambhir, former Kolkata Knight Riders IPL-winning captain, has come down hard on Australian swashbuckler, Glenn Maxwell, following yet another underwhelming performance by the latter in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich league. Maxwell once again failed to live up to his reputation during KXIP’s run-chase against the Mumbai Indians as he registered a painstaking 18-ball 11.
This was Maxwell’s fourth consecutive failure in this year’s IPL. In the first three games, the Kings XI Punjab had managed scores of 1,5 and 13 not-out. But this is not the first time that Glenn Maxwell has struggled to live up to his potential in the IPL. Since his pathbreaking 2014 season, where he managed 552 runs, Maxwell has crossed the 200-run-mark only once. In 52 innings since the 2014 edition, the Australian has scored just 833 runs at an average of 18.10 in 52 innings with just two half-centuries.
‘He looks completely out of sorts’- Gautam Gambhir on Glenn Maxwell
Gambhir said that the Australian is nowhere near the likes of Andre Russell or AB de Villiers and the franchises need to evaluate his worth and whether he is a match-winner that they think he is. Maxwell had gone for Rs 10.75 crore in the 2019 IPL auctions.
“Glenn Maxwell has had only one decent IPL in the last 6-7 years. For the amount of money he has been bought for, he has been too hot and cold. He looks completely out of sorts. Since he’s arrived in the IPL, he doesn’t look like the player he was against England,” Gambhir said on ESPNCricinfo’s ‘Time-out’.
“Not sure if it has to do with wickets (conditions) or money pressure but if you look at Maxwell’s performance in the IPL over an extended period of time, it has been very hot and cold. Franchises need to re-think whether Glenn Maxwell actually is the match-winner they think he is. Is he an Andre Russell or an AB de Villiers who can win your 3-4 games single-handedly? I doubt big time.” Gambhir added.
Gautam Gambhir added that instead of the ‘inconsistent’ Maxwell, he would rather invest in the likes of Jonny Bairstow or Kane Williamson, who will churn out 300-350 runs even if they are enduring a bad season. He further added that Glenn Maxwell needs to contribute more with the bat, considering the fact someone like Chris Gayle is warming the bench.
“As a batsman, I will always have a Jonny Bairstow or a Kane Williamson over Maxwell. They are more consistent, more ensured and you know even their bad season would be around 300-350 runs. But Maxwell can have a 600-run season, but at the same time, he can have a 150-run season as well. So do you wanna have a player who is so hot and cold? I don’t think so. When someone like a Chris Gayle is sitting on the bench, you need to deliver much more,” Gambhir added.
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Gautam Gambhir Glenn Maxwell IPL 2020 Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)
