Australia's hard-hitting allrounder, Glenn Maxwell, has had a rough start to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. After six innings, the explosive batsman has only managed to rack up 41 runs, a disappointing return by his usual high standards. Maxwell’s poor performance has sparked a lot of criticism, including from Indian veteran Cheteshwara Pujara, who has called for Maxwell to "wake up" and reconsider his approach.
"The way he bats hasn't changed much. He hasn't changed the way he has approached the IPL. There have been times where he's been a little casual. He's the same what he was maybe eight-ten years ago. I'm a little critical, but there are times where as a player you need to wake up," Pujara said on ESPNCricinfo T20 Time Out.
"You need to realise you're getting an opportunity to play and be part of a franchise where things are at stake. And there are times a player can get casual, they're not worried about what's happening. I'm sure he wants to perform but when you're not performing there's a fine line of being causal and just trying to pull up your socks and trying to perform. He has to find that balance, if there was any other player he would've been out of the XI, but because he's Maxwell he's getting that opportunity," Pujara said.
Maxwell, meanwhile, entered the IPL with high expectations, given his reputation for delivering explosive knocks, but so far he hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations.