IPL 2021: Glenn Maxwell eager to learn from 'pinnacle of the game' Virat Kohli at RCB

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is looking forward to playing alongside Virat Kohli in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, terming the Indian skipper “the pinnacle of the game” for his sheer dominance across formats. Maxwell was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping INR 14.25 crore despite a below-average outing in IPL 2020 with Kings XI Punjab, now Punjab Kings. 

Maxwell said the RCB stint is going to be next level as the Aussie heaped praise on Kohli for his ability to adapt to different formats and deal with the pressure of being the captain of the Indian team and the best player. 

"It's (RCB stint) going to be next level," Maxwell told Australian Associated Press (AAP).  

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"He's (Kohli) been the pinnacle of the game for a while as a multi-format player from Tests all the way to T20s. He's been able to adapt his game, dominate for a long period of time and deal with the Indian pressure of being their captain and their best player," Maxwell added. 

IPL 2021 is likely to commence in the second week of April and Maxwell is hoping to grasp leadership qualities from Kohli.  

"I'm looking forward to watching him go about his work, not just in games but in training, and hopefully tapping into some of the leadership stuff and try and learn off him."  

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"He's been a solid backer of my stance," Maxwell said. 

"In a way, he probably understood a lot of the things that I was going through. A lot of expectation and pressure, which I'm sure he can relate to." 

Recently, Kohli opened up his battle with depression during India’s tour of England in 2014 while lauding Maxwell’s decision to take a break from the game.