If Australia finally manage to win the T20 World Cup, they might have to thank Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has attributed his return to form to IPL teammates Kohli and De Villiers, saying he has reaped rich dividends by spending time with them during his stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the UAE.
Maxwell said he was feeling “10-feet tall” simply by spending time, playing and training alongside Kohli and de Villiers.
“Every day was a learning experience, every day I was I was finding something new out — I was being a sponge to Virat and AB, just watching the way they go about things,” Maxwell was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “That’s always been the one thing in the IPL I’ve been extremely thankful of — the opportunities that it gives you to learn off the best players in the world.
“I was extremely fortunate to have two of the greats in the same team, they were open to sharing their experiences and talking to me about their game,” the 33-year-old said.
“It makes you feel 10-feet tall when you’ve got your backing and they’re watching you or asking you questions. It just makes you feel confident, it just makes you feel happy. It was just nice to have a nice, comfortable environment.”
Maxwell’s performance will be key to Australia’s dream of lifting the T20 World Cup title. “In my mind I’m not sure I’ve completely embraced (being Australia’s match winner) … It’s not, ‘if I play well, we’re going to win a World Cup,’ there’s no thoughts of that,” Maxwell said.
He enjoyed a great second leg in the just-concluded IPL in the UAE, scoring 290 runs at an average of 41.43. “If I continue the process I’ve been doing at the IPL, I know I’m going to have success,” Maxwell said.
“It’s a nice position to be in mentally that I’ve come off a good run of form. I’m not overthinking the stuff in-game.”
Not just with the bat, Maxwell also hopes to play a vital role with his off-breaks in the World Cup having worked with spin gurus Craig Howard (back in Melbourne) and Sridharan Sriram (with the national side) in recent months.
“The biggest thing for me … is to be able to bowl not just to left-handers,” said the off-spinner, whose stock ball turning away from lefties is generally seen as an advantage against them. “I’ve been working really hard on bowling from over the wicket and being able to attack right-handed batters.”
