“He didn’t take the responsibility as a captain and didn’t perform”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Virender Sehwag, the Kings XI Punjab’s director of cricket operations, has admitted that he was less than impressed with captain Glenn Maxwell’s overall performance in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Kings XI had a chance of qualifying for the playoffs when they took on the Rising Pune Supergiants on Sunday, but they failed to get the job done as they were skittled out for 73 and beaten by nine wickets.

In the 14 matches he played, Maxwell scored 310 runs at an average of 31, but he failed to register a single half-century.

Furthermore, on Sunday, Maxwell was dismissed for a three-ball duck, which was the third time he had failed to trouble the scorers in the 2017 edition of the IPL.

“We always knew that when Maxwell fires, then he can win the match on his own,” Sehwag said. “But he didn’t fire in eight or nine games. That is a big disappointment, especially since he’s experienced, having played for Australia’s test and ODI teams.

“He didn’t take the responsibility as a captain and didn’t perform. I’m very disappointed … that none of the foreign players took responsibility and at least played 12 to 15 overs.

“They were complaining that the wicket was a bit slow but when you play international cricket so much, you should get used to playing on difficult or good wickets.”

However, Maxwell had a different view as he took to Twitter to congratulate his side on an excellent campaign.

“We tried our backsides off @lionsdenkxip!! As captain, I couldn’t be more proud of the group for all their efforts on and off the field!” Maxwell tweeted. “It’s been an amazing experience captaining an IPL team for the first time! Hopefully I get the opportunity to captain a team again!”