Glenn Maxwell belongs to the fearless breed of batsmen who love to dominate the bowlers and savage them ruthlessly.
The 25-year-old Australian, whose fiery 43-ball 95 guided Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket win over two-time champion Chennai Super Kings in the IPL-7 on Friday evening, said he was undaunted by the huge target set by CSK.
“If you get intimidated, you start panicking. If you go there with a calm frame of mind and bat with your natural ability, then everything else takes care of itself. If I am enjoying my time there, then the job is done,” Maxwell told The Hindu over phone from UAE on Saturday.
Maxwell, who was dubbed ‘the million dollar boy’ at last year’s IPL auction and commanded Rs 6 crore for this edition, said he did not go out to the middle to prove any point. “I have come here to play as well as I can. This year I came in with some good form under my belt. I played a lot of first class games in the last seven-eight months. I have come here to contribute to IPL and help the Kings XI win.”
Likening the massive run chase against CSK to that of the Australia-Pakistan match in the recently-concluded World T20, Maxwell said his partnership with David Miller was crucial this time.
“The situation was similar — chasing a big total against a quality opposition. I did as well as I could and kept the run rate controllable.”
Maxwell was not hesitant in picking spinners for special treatment. “I generally try that against the spinners no matter who the spinner is. I have played enough cricket in the sub-continent. I really put the pressure back on them.” He admitted that “a little bit of luck” helped him as he swung his arms to score freely.
According to Maxwell, staying relaxed on the field amidst exchange of banter with Miller helped ease the pressure. “I tried just to keep calm out there and kept batting, making sure to stay busy at the crease and score off every ball.”
Looking back at the time he spent with the Australian team in the last one year, Maxwell said the experience made him a better player. “It has been good, enjoyable. I have been given more responsibility in the Australian line-up and I am really enjoying it,” he said.
