Maxwell and art of attacking spinners this ODI World Cup

India batters have lost the least wickets to spin, and their own spinners have got the most breakthroughs - two big reasons for their imperious run in this World Cup

- Vivek Krishnan

Glenn Maxwell’s once-in-a-lifetime innings on Tuesday should have come with a disclaimer at the end – don’t try this unless you are blessed with great hand-eye coordination, a free-flowing extension of the arms and dexterity to hit the ball to different areas. Maxwell doesn’t adhere to convention anyway but battling cramp and a stiff back on a sultry Mumbai evening, the Australian’s manual on how to obliterate spin was in full view. Not bothering with things like footwork as the innings progressed, he decided to stand and deliver, providing a big-hitting masterclass, particularly against Afghanistan’s spin quartet of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.

It wasn’t a chanceless effort, having top-edged sweeps off Rashid and Noor early on that the fielders failed to hold on to. But Maxwell’s boom-or-bust approach means a knock-free of blemishes will be rare. If he is averaging 107 and striking at 155.07 against spinners in this World Cup, it suggests his method is working well enough even if he has been dismissed by spinners twice in six innings. Could Afghanistan’s spinners have done anything differently?