Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was all smiles after his team’s five-wicket win over Pune Warriors India at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium here on Saturday. Used to warming the bench or supply drinks during the break, Maxwell’s role with the Mumbai Indians had been subdued so far.
However, the Australian proved that being ignored for 12 straight games did not affect his rhythm as he stayed unbeaten on 13 in a tricky chase after having earlier bowled an over conceding five runs.
“It is very refreshing to play my first game and feels great to finish on the winning side. The last time I played a match was in Delhi and it was a minefield,” said Maxwell.
The 24-year-old, who was paid a whopping $1 million, said he did not mind sitting on the bench. “Mumbai Indians have some world class foreign player and it is difficult to replace them. It may be unlucky for me but it is lucky for us (to have such a strong squad of foreign players).”
Maxwell brushed aside talks of panic in the side when Mumbai were 39/3 while chasing 113. “There was no real panic as our middle-order is very strong. Rohit and Karthik are in great form and are capable of getting the job done.”
He added that Mumbai would look to win their remaining games and finish among the top two. “We want to put the pedal on the accelerator and will look to win remaining matches too. We want to put pressure on Chennai.”
Having lost their 12th game, Pune Warriors India captain Aaron Finch said batting failure let the team down. “Our top and middle-order let the team down today but I am proud of the way we bowled. To contain Mumbai, a team with such a strong batting line-up is impressive.”
Finch said that the team have failed to put up an all-round show. “We’ve not backed good bowling with batting or when our batting clicks our bowling has failed.”