Being around the best is bringing the best out of Glenn Maxwell. Australia mercurial white-ball wizard has credited modern greats Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for instilling in him the confidence that has him primed to make a splash at the Twenty20 World Cup.

Mitchell Marsh may have left his teammates in awe with his powerful strokeplay, but if Australia’s men are to take home the only major trophy to have eluded the team it will likely require an October and November to remember from Maxwell.

Seldom has the Victorian all-rounder appeared so relaxed in his nine years in the green and gold. There is good reason too, after an impressive stint in the Indian Premier League where he crunched 269 runs from his past six hits at an average of 67 for glamour franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.

It was arguably his best display in a decade of appearances at the world’s most lucrative T20 league, and one in which Kohli and de Villiers played significant roles behind the scenes.

“Every day was a learning experience, every day I was finding something new out, I was being a sponge to Virat and AB, just watching the way they go about things,” Maxwell said.

“That’s been one thing in the IPL I’ve been extremely thankful of – the opportunities it gives you to learn off the best players in the world. I was extremely fortunate to have two of the greats in the game in the same team and in the same batting line-up who were open to share their experiences and talk to me about their game.

“It makes you feel 10-feet tall when you have their backing, they’re watching you and ask you questions. It makes you feel confident, it makes you feel happy.”

Maxwell will play a key role in Australia’s T20 campaign, nominally batting at No.4 but with the flexibility to float in the order depending on the game situation.