'He looked disgusted, frustrated' - Brian Lara on Glenn Maxwell's batting against KKR

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) resumed their IPL 2021 campaign as they locked horns with Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, September 20. KKR dominated the proceedings by registering a thumping victory by nine wickets over RCB. The former West Indies captain Brian Lara thus opened up on RCB’s batting in the match.

After winning the toss, the Virat Kohli-led side posted the target of just 93 runs for KKR. RCB’s batting line-up experienced a collapse as Devdutt Padikkal (22) was the top scorer for the team. The chase was a cakewalk for KKR and their openers Shubman Gill and debutant Venkatesh Iyer helped them romp home. RCB’s batters struggled to make an impact but Brian Lara specifically mentioned about Glenn Maxwell.

“Are guys lacking match practice? Yes. You look at Maxwell. He looked disgusted. He looked frustrated and all of a sudden, he was back. He was nowhere near that delivery. That looked to me like a guy who was mentally not there and willing to handle the battle at hand,” Brian Lara told Cricket.com.

It’s a closer encounter than we really think it is: Brian Lara

RCB had a splendid start to their season in the Indian leg of the IPL. They dominated the first half of the tournament and exuded great character. On the other hand, KKR struggled a tad in the initial part of the league. Brian Lara also added that it would be unfair to write off teams who had a disappointing outing in the Indian leg of the IPL.

“One of the areas is ‘where is the match fitness? It could be a jaded Virat Kohli as well. But it’s a closer encounter than we really think it is. We think here is an RCB team that hasn’t only dominated in the first half but they have played better cricket. They had 5 wins out of 7 and with KKR struggling, you think it is going to be a walk in a park. But when you really look man to man, the contest is closer,” Lara added.