Glenn Maxwell and Virender Sehwag, who have lots in common when it comes to playing styles, surprisingly did not see eye to eye when they were given the onus of fetching success for IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings ). Evidently, the two had a fallout during the side’s below-par 2017 season, when the side finished outside of the top-4. Sehwag was the Team mentor and Maxwell was picked to lead the side that season.
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Glenn Maxwell Narrates How Relationship With Virender Sehwag Turned Bitter
Conflicts prevailed between Virender Sehwag and Glenn Maxwell over selection calls and various team dynamics. According to a revelation made by Maxwell, the former India batsman did not relate to the Australian all-rounder’s leadership ideas, moreover, he imposed himself as the sole decision-maker when it came to zeroing in on the playing XI.
“When it came to selection, I thought it might be a good idea to bring the coaches into a WhatsApp group to make our decisions. Everyone agreed to this and shared their teams, with the exception of Sehwag,” Maxwell wrote in his book, the excerpt of which was published on ESPNCricinfo.
“At the end of the process, he made it clear that he would pick the starting XI, end of story. We were losing on and off the field by now, with Sehwag on more than one occasion making decisions that didn’t necessarily make sense.”
Reflecting on the IPL 2017 season, Maxwell expressed content over the side’s fortitude to stay alive till the final group phase, and while the team could not make it to the playoffs, the former captain stated that it could have been much worse and exhibited satisfaction with the impact he was able to spread as a captain.
“The season came down to our final group game against Pune away from home, and we had a shocker batting first on a wet wicket, rolled for 73. It was all over. In the context of what was going on, I’m still quite proud of how we were able to broadly keep the show on the road until that stage,” Maxwell began.
“I was also happy with how I performed, doing the right thing as leader by giving myself the chance to influence games at the right time with bat and ball. Of course, we were all flat not to make the post-season, but it could have been so much worse.
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Back and Forth On Texts
Maxwell further reveals that following the defeat in Pune, he wanted to face the press but Sehwag took the helm from him here as well. Maxwell also brought forward what transpired afterwards.
“I volunteered to do press that night, but Sehwag said he would instead. Upon getting onto the team bus, I found I’d been deleted from the main WhatsApp group. What was going on here? By the time we reached the hotel my phone was blowing up, with Sehwag having unloaded on me as a “big disappointment”, blaming me for not taking responsibility as captain, and all the rest. It was unpleasant, especially when I thought we had parted on good terms.”
Sehwag’s text perturbed Maxwell, and a back and forth ensued where the Aussie told the former Indian batter that he had lost a fan due to this demeanor.
“I texted him to say how much it hurt to read those comments and added that he had lost a fan in me for the way he had conducted himself. Sehwag’s response was simple: “Don’t need fan like you.” We never spoke again. I knew my time was at an end and told the owners as much: if Sehwag was going to stick around, they were making a mistake and not to bother with me. He only lasted one more season,” Maxwell wrote.
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