IPL 2024

“We pretend to fight..” – Virat Kohli’s 2 Pages in Maxwell autobiography

By News Update

Virat Kohli is well known for his off-field bonding with players he has played with. One such incident has been explored in Glenn Maxwell’s biography.

Kohli foreword 2 lengthy pages of his bond with Maxwell, starting from how they had met for the first time in an interview, which was interviewed by the latter on an India tour to Australia, in 2016. Elaborated on How they both have matured as players in the following days after having fights or misunderstandings on the field.

Virat Kohli wrote “..Deeper into my career, I realised that our world view as younger men wasn’t the only way to succeed. Forever combative, always on the edge, can lend you energy for a time but can ultimately be exhausting. Maxi and I have spoken since about feeling this way, where offence was easily taken and tempers frayed. He had a smile on his face more than I did, always a joker, but we were both part of a wider culture.”

He added the conversation he had with the RCB management, and Ab De Villiers on how they can take Glenn Maxwell into the Royal Challengers Bangalore Setup in the IPL 2021 Auction. They ended up getting him in the auction to form a swashbuckling trio of Virat Kohli, Ab De Villiers, and Glenn Maxwell himself.

Virat Kohli added in his writing piece saying they wanted to take the attention out of de Villiers and him to have a solid batting order. “In time, the IPL can help sort out this balance for some players, and the timing of reaching this understanding helped me and Maxi. Our interview returned to mind, helping reorient my thinking towards what he might be able to do at Bangalore in 2021. Watching him play made me think he would enjoy our environment. I put this to AB de Villiers, my trusted offsider in that dressing room, and he immediately agreed. Not only did we think that Maxi would be a great fit in our middle order, we also thought he would be grateful for the chance to stop being the centre of attention, given there was already a spotlight on me and AB.”

Foreword Virat Kohli in Glenn Maxwell Biography:

Here’s what Virat Kohli Wrote About Glenn Maxwell in the latter’s biography.,

“Sit down for an interview with Glenn Maxwell? During an Indian tour to Australia in 2016, it was an interesting request. My management passed on the information, and it sounded unusual, but I cautiously agreed.

Of course, I was familiar with his work. Maxi arrived in the IPL in 2012 and there had been a lot of cricket between Australia and India since. His talent was obvious: a guy who had every shot that existed and invented some that didn’t. I would see flashes of this ridiculous ability. But we didn’t know each other beyond the back and forth on the field.

This video interview was part of a series he was doing with Cricket Australia, and our chat had the questions you might expect: my enjoyment of being anonymous in Australia, playing alongside Sachin Tendulkar, my fiery streak on the field. We were done in ten minutes.

After filming, though, when he was less nervous, we moved on to what he really wanted to speak about. It was the first time we’d spoken properly, and my impression was of a guy who wanted to take his game to the next level, and was soaking up everything he could from my experience. He asked loads of questions about my preparation and dealing with a public profile. You know when someone is really listening, wanting to learn, and Maxi was.

I marked it off as a nice experience, wished him well, and left knowing we would see each other on the field. As it turned out, in one of those games, the occasion got the better of us. I’m sure that story features in this book, and the result was a distance between us. I had a rapport with some Aussies like Steve Smith, with a rivalry underpinned by respect, but Maxi and I were competitors only. We were both at our most intense, struggling to find balance.

Deeper into my career, I realised that our world view as younger men wasn’t the only way to succeed. Forever combative, always on the edge, can lend you energy for a time but can ultimately be exhausting. Maxi and I have spoken since about feeling this way, where offence was easily taken and tempers frayed. He had a smile on his face more than I did, always a joker, but we were both part of a wider culture.

In time, the IPL can help sort out this balance for some players, and the timing of reaching this understanding helped me and Maxi. Our interview returned to mind, helping reorient my thinking towards what he might be able to do at Bangalore in 2021. Watching him play made me think he would enjoy our environment. I put this to AB de Villiers, my trusted offsider in that dressing room, and he immediately agreed.

Not only did we think that Maxi would be a great fit in our middle order, we also thought he would be grateful for the chance to stop being the centre of attention, given there was already a spotlight on me and AB. We thought that might get out the best out of him. Since his Kings XI campaign in 2014 he had been searching for his best, and we all knew he was too good not to find it eventually.

It was a thrill seeing that come to pass, and at the same time having his huge cricket intelligence engaged for us. He was a dream recruit. It lives as a frustration for both of us that we weren’t able to win the trophy in that first season.

It didn’t take long for us to develop a closeness beyond the dressing room, as it became obvious that Maxi is about genuine care and connection. There’s so much more than meets the eye. He’s an easy person to be open with, and that goes both ways. I never knew how sensitive he is as a person, and I mean that in a positive way. Our friendship expanded to our families, as we navigate our journey as fathers. We text constantly, silly things that will make the other laugh. It’s natural, like we’ve been mates forever.

When he had the night of his life in Mumbai against Afghanistan, I was thrilled for him on a personal level. I knew it would also make life more difficult for my Indian team, with Australia believing they could win from anywhere, but I was able to keep those thoughts separate while watching from Bangalore.

I missed some of the innings after Australia went four down. The game was moving so quickly in Afghanistan’s direction, and knowing their spinners, it would get no easier. Checking in as he and Pat Cummins rebuilt, I said half seriously that with Maxi there, anything could happen.

By the time he reached his century, I genuinely thought he was going to win it. I’ve seen what it’s like when Maxi gets hold of a team, and it felt like this was one of those nights. Yet to think he would end up with a double century was another layer of unbelievable.

The whole cricket world was glued to those final stages, as he kept bombing sixes on one leg, without a helmet too. Going down time and again with cramp, limping for singles it was compelling drama, and so Maxi.

When it was over, I texted him along those lines: that he is a freak and a madman. In my view, he is the only player in the world capable of doing what he did. Concluding with such a milestone was perfect, capping an unparalleled knock.

Twelve days later, in the final, when Maxi threw a ball back in, I instinctively stuck up a hand and blocked it. Earlier in our careers, with so much on the line, you can guarantee there would have been an altercation. But now? We pretended to fight for a second, before both starting to laugh.

That’s exactly as it should be competitive but respectful. When someone can make friends along the way, from unexpected beginnings like Maxi and me, we’re all the better for it. That’s special, and a bond I know will be lifelong.”

After 3 years of tenure with RCB, Glenn Maxwell was not retained by RCB ahead of the 2025 Mega Auction, but in his recent said the management had a conversation with him. “It was a zoom call, they sort of explained to me the decision not to be retained. It was actually a very beautiful exit meeting.”

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