Glenn Maxwell Is More Interested About Golf Than Cricket During IPL: Virender Sehwag

One of the biggest talking points from the recently-concluded six white-ball internationals between Australia and India was the form of swashbuckling all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell, who had a disastrous run in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League, was in sensational form throughout the three ODIs and as many T2oIs.

While in IPL, Maxwell could not hit a single 6 in 13 outings, he stroked as many as sixteen for his 245 runs across the six matches against the Indians.

Explaining such a stark difference in his fortunes while playing in the IPL and then for Australia, former KXIP coach and someone who has worked in close quarters with the Australian, Virender Sehwag has said that the reason why a different Maxwell turns up to the IPL as compared to what we see in international cricket, is because he does not take any pressure during his time in the cash-rich league.

Sehwag added that Maxwell is more serious about Golf when he comes to the IPL than cricket and that reflects in his performance.

”He (Maxwell) doesn’t take pressure at all (In IPL). He is there only for enjoyment. He will do everything in the match – encourage players, roam around, dance – other than scoring runs. As soon as the match is over, if he is getting free drinks he will take that to his room or go to the room and have a lot of drinks,” Sehwag said during a discussion on Sony Sports network.

“So, I never felt that he is that serious about the game. When he comes to the IPL, he is more serious about his golf than cricket. Because if you are that serious, the performance shows,” he added.

Glenn Maxwell in the IPL:

108 runs in 13 matches; 0 sixes

Glenn Maxwell after the IPL:

245 runs in six matches; 16 sixes

?#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/wuzi1T47Pm

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 8, 2020

 

‘His attitude changes when he plays for Australia”- Virender Sehwag on Glenn Maxwell

Virender Sehwag also added that another reason why Glenn Maxwell performs brilliantly for Australia and not in the IPL is that he knows that if he does not perform in a few games, he would be dropped from the national sides’ set-up.

He added that when it comes to the IPL, he knows that even if he does not perform, his paycheck is still guaranteed.

”His attitude changes when he plays for Australia. When he goes to Australia, he knows that if he has two or three bad innings, he will be left out of the Australian team and it will be difficult to make a comeback,” Sehwag observed.

“But in the IPL, there is no fear. Even if you are not there in the playing XI, you will still get the 1.5 million dollars that you are getting. It is possible that 20 or 30% is cut when you are not part of the playing XI, so if not 1.5 million, he will get one million. So that is free money going into the pocket,” he added.

Also Read- It Is Not A Problem With The Player’s Skills: Mohammad Kaif Underlines Why Glenn Maxwell Struggles In IPL