Same Big Show, different effect
MELBOURNE: Even though Glenn Maxwell came in the end to snatch the game away from India with a power-packed 96, the batting honours were shared at the Melbourne Cricket Ground by him and Virat Kohli.
Maxwell can claim that Kohli didn’t finish the job while he saw his team to the end. Still, it will not take anything away from Kohli’s effort. The Indian batsman can turn around and show Maxwell his tally of hundreds. Sunday’s was Kohli’s 24th ODI century and he became the quickest to reach 7000 runs in the process, while Maxwell has 13 half-centuries and converted only one of them into a hundred. Both are 27, but Maxwell has played around 100 games fewer than Kohli, one reason for the huge difference in numbers.
It doesn’t diminish Maxwell’s impact either. He can proudly claim the number of times he has guided Australia to victory.
Maxwell is the kind of player who cares little for personal milestones and, as he showed at the MCG, he will play his shots whatever be the stage of the game. In the third ODI, he was out in the 90s one more time. He has 13 half-centuries and has converted only one fifty into a hundred.
Maxwell said in a matter-offact manner that he doesn’t care about looking an ‘attractive’ or a ‘pretty’ batsman. He believes only in getting the job done. Virat is the opposite; he is one of the most pleasing batsmen to watch. His innings on Sunday flowed like poetry with delectable drives and silken-touch off-drives.
“I have areas that I want to hit the ball. I haven’t really cared about how it looks trying to get the ball there. I think people get caught up in attractive batting, good-looking batting, with balls hit to the fielder. I’ve always thought it doesn’t matter how it looks, as long as you can get it to the fence. I’ve never looked to be an attractive batsman, I’ll always just try to get the job done,” said the man nicknamed Big Show.
Speaking about Kohli’s innings, captain MS Dhoni said: “He has consistently performed and improved. He is the best amongst Indian batsmen, along with Rohit in the shorter format. Today, he paced his innings well. He reads the game really well which I think is very important in the middle overs. Definitely, he is somebody that we’ll have to look up to in the future.” One thing is certain, both will hold centrestage for a long time to come with their unique styles.