IPL 2018: Glenn Maxwell to use tournament to regain Test place

Glenn Maxwell is due to fly out to Delhi on Sunday to join up with his Daredevils teammates. Maxwell's IPL journey has been delayed so he can attend Aaron Finch's wedding. When he does finally arrive in India, the motivation to do well for the Dehil Daredevils will certainly be a lot more. The void in Australia's Test batting lineup following the infamous 'Sandpaper Gate' incident in South Africa, needs to be filled and the Victorian batting ace intends to stake his case for inclusion.

Maxwell has represented Australia on many occasions. He has played 81 ODIs and 40 T20 Internationals but has just seven Tests to his name. It seems strange at times that such a prolific run scorer should not have been considered more for Australia. His reputation has been that of a limited overs specialist, while. there have been times when his application has been somewhat lacking when on international duty. However, even just a cursory look at Maxwell's batting questions the decision to not give him more time to prove himself in the Test arena.

It is not unfair to say that Maxwell has not been given a consistent run in the Test team. Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw, and Peter Handscomb have not been massively successful in Baggy Green but have had more opportunities so far. Maxwell averages 26.08 at Test level but had only passed fifty once. Fans will remember his excellent century at Ranchi in the Third Test last year. He was dropped after the two Test matches in Bangladesh and did not feature in the Ashes. Maxwell flew to South Africa, for the Fourth Test at the Wanderers, after 'Sandpaper Gate' but did not play.

Thank you to the @lionsdenkxip for the last 4 years! The opportunities you provided for me have helped mould me in to the player and person I am today. I’m extremely excited to be able to return to the place where I started my IPL career! Cant wait @DelhiDaredevils! #IPL2018

— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) January 27, 2018

Maxwell's performances in the IPL have not been wonderful so far. He made his debut in 2012 for his current team, the Delhi Daredevils, before having a season with the Mumbai Indians. For the last three seasons, he has played for Kings XI Punjab before the Daredevils spent USD 1.4 million in this year's auction to bring 'Maxi' back. In 57 IPL matches, Maxwell's batting average is just 25.06 with a highest score of 95 scored in 2014. In IPL 2017, Maxwell's failed to pass fifty in his 13 innings and amassed 310 runs.

Maxwell in BBL action against the Adelaide Strikers

Maxwell's BBL form is a lot better and he will be hoping to bring his IPL stats up to their level. In 45 matches for the Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars, he has scored 1,117 runs at 29.39. His top score is 84 and has passed fifty on nine occasions. He also has 14 wickets with an economy rate of 7.65. The form of the Melbourne Stars in BBL07 was poor and will have affected Maxwell's run-scoring ability. On many occasions, he came to the wicket in a pressure situation because of batting failures. Maxwell will be hoping for better opportunities with the Dehil Daredevils this season.

Although he plays in the shorter forms for Australia, he covets a Test place. A successful season in the IPL will help to keep him in the reckoning for the home series against India later this year. Maxwell has scored plenty of runs for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. In all forms of the game, his batting is worthy of playing internationally. Perhaps he could be more consistent and the IPL is ideal opportunity to do just that.