After the advent of T20 , the ‘Traditionalists vs Revolutionist’ debates have become an inevitable part of the game of cricket. From switch hits to slow-bouncers, the game of cricket has gone through a lot of changes, and these changes have attracted many debates, dividing the cricket lovers into two groups.
Australia’s star batsman Glenn Maxwell is a product of T20 Cricket and his style of batting is no where near what it used to be 5 years ago. Irrespective of the format, Glenn Maxwell plays his unorthodox brand of cricket and this is why he has established his name as one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket. Maxwell plays some of the most outrageous shots and gives no respect to any bowler whatsoever. When Maxwell made his international debut, he was considered only as a T20 specialist, but now, Australia have drafted him in their Test team as well.
Now, the question that arises is- “Whether Glenn Maxwell should make changes to his game or just keep batting the way he has been?” Firstly, it is important to understand that Glenn Maxwell is a naturally aggressive player and his natural game is “see the ball and hit it out of the park for a six”. Any change in his game would mean moving away from the natural game, which is never recommended for a young cricketer.
If Glenn Maxwell wants to make a mark in Test cricket, without changing his natural game, he must learn the art of “trusting your natural game” from his Kings XI Punjab’s teammate Virender Sehwag. Just like Glenn Maxwell, Virender Sehwag also started as a One-Day specialist, but now Sehwag has scored over 8500 Test runs. Sehwag’s biggest strength is his ability to play his natural game irrespective of the conditions, situation and form. It’s true that Sehwag was more orthodox in his ways, but then, it’s all about having faith in your natural game and working hard towards making the small adjustments, wherever necessary.
Glenn Maxwell is a phenomenal talent . He can make a mockery of any bowling attack on his day. His unorthodox batting style has now become a fear for many bowlers across the world. But, having said this, Glenn Maxwell has a long way to go if he wants to establish himself as a great player. Maxwell has started really well, but now that every team knows about his potential and they are vary of him, he will have to keep coming at them, and keep playing his aggressive brand of cricket. Maxwell shouldn’t worry about what cricket pundits and other people are saying about him, if he finds reverse-scoop better than cover drive, then he should keep playing the reverse-scoop because he plays it so well.
Maxwell is just 26 years old and he has his whole career in front of him. He will get lots of advice on how he should improve his temperament and cut-down of the risky shots, but if he wants to achieve what Sehwag has achieved or even more, he must study Virender Sehwag’s success and keep doing what Sehwag has done in the last 10 years i.e. have faith in your talent and if it is there to hit, just hit it out of the park.
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By The Cricket Lounge
