IPL 2021: Glenn Maxwell 'highly impressed' with RCB's Srikar Bharat; calls him 'top class'

Australian batting powerhouse Glenn Maxwell is all praise for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) wicketkeeper-batsman Srikar Bharat. Maxwell, while speaking to Star Sports after the RR vs RCB match, lauded Bharat's contribution at the top, calling him a "genuine top-class batter". Maxwell said the way Bharat goes about his innings is "outstanding". Bharat and Maxwell forged a crucial middle-order partnership for RCB to help their side beat RR by 7 wickets. 

"It is nice to have a bunch of guys doing different things and not relying on one guy. Everyone is chipping in and it has been a really enjoyable group so far. I wouldn't call it an experiment, he's a genuine top-class batter and the way he has gone about his innings is outstanding. We basically just try and plan the innings for batters to go out at different times and that has worked beautifully for us at the moment," Maxwell told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game ended.

While Srikar Bharat scored 44 off 35 balls, Glen Maxwell smashed an unbeaten 50 off 30 balls to help RCB gain two points in the table. Bharat was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman when the Challengers still had 13 runs to chase. AB de Villiers joined Maxwell in the middle, but the stylish left-handed batsman completed the job all by himself and scored the remaining runs to win the game for RCB. 

RR vs RCB

Earlier in the IPL 2021 match, Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to field first. Rajasthan Royals' opening batter Evin Lewis and Yashasvi Jaiswal provided a solid start at the top, forging a 77-run partnership together. Jaiswal was the first batter to go as he was dismissed by Daniel Christian for 31 runs. Lewis scored a magnificent half-century before he was sent back by debutant George Garton for 58 runs. Apart from Sanju Samson and Chris Morris, the rest of the RR batting line-up fell cheaply and scored just 23 runs between them. Samson and Morris scored 19 and 14 runs respectively to help RR post 149 runs on the board.

In reply, the Challengers started their innings with a bang with Kohli and Padikkal registering another 40+ run partnership in the IPL. Padikkal was dismissed for 22 by Mustafizur Rahman, while Kohli was run out by Riyan Parag for 25 runs. Glen Maxwell and Bharat then joined the party and forged an important partnership to ensure their side crosses the finish line. RCB bowlers remained the pick of the match as they took 9 wickets between them. Yuzvendra Chahal was adjudged the player of the match for his 2/18 in 4 overs. 

Image: iplt20.com/BCCI