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'Might be dangerous news for oppositions': RCB star Maxwell explains why Kohli can be lethal in IPL 2022

'Might be dangerous news for oppositions': RCB star Maxwell explains why Kohli can be lethal in IPL 2022

Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell

The ardent fans of Virat Kohli have been patiently waiting for the superstar cricketer's 71st international ton. Kohli's last three-figure knock at the international level came in late 2019. Since then, he gave up Test and T20I captaincy whereas he was sacked as the ODI skipper for Rohit Sharma to take charge of Team India as full-time captain.

In the IPL, Kohli's last century came during the 2019 edition. While he has been among runs in the last two seasons, his strike-rate has gone down. In IPL 2021, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter amassed 405 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 119.46. In the previous season, he struck at 121.35. After giving up on RCB captaincy with the end of the last year's edition, his Bengaluru teammate and Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell feels Kohli will be at his usual best in the forthcoming IPL 2022 edition with no additional pressure on him.

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Speaking on the RCB Podcast, Maxwell said, "He knows he's handing the captaincy over, which I think is potentially a big burden for him. It might have been something that's been weighing him down for a while and now that he's been able to release it, it might be dangerous news for opposition teams."

"It is amazing for him to be relaxed a bit and actually enjoy the next few years of his career without any of that sort of external pressure. I think playing against him in earlier days, he was a fiery competitor, getting in your face. He's always trying to impose himself on the game. Impose himself on the opposition," he further opined.

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"Something I've noticed more from him this year is he's been really measured with his emotions. He's actually been really measured with his decision-making. He's certainly really surprised me and probably how close we've both gotten to each other as well this year. Being able to talk about the game in a calm manner," Maxwell added.

Faf du Plessis-led RCB will open their campaign in the upcoming IPL 2022 edition against Mayank Agarwal's Punjab Kings (PBKS) on March 27 in match 3, atDr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai. Will Kohli go bonkers with the bat this season? Only time will tell..