Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, known more for his prowess in the Twenty20 format, was impressive on Thursday as he along with skipper Steve Smith put their side in a position of strength against India on Day 1 of the third Test in Ranchi on Thursday.
Maxwell. who replaced injured Mitchell Marsh for the No 6 slot, made most of the opportunity smashing a career-best 82, scoring his maiden Test half-century along the way. His unbeaten 159-run stand with Steve Smith paved the way for the visitors as they posted 299/4. While, Smith led from the front with an unbeaten 117, Maxwell was the surprise package of the day.
Boasting a T20I strike rate of 167.41, Maxwell stood out with his controlled shot-selection. Maxwell faced 147 balls to score his 82 runs as he and Smith frustrated India’s bowlers, who went wicketless in the final session. Maxwell’s knock included five fours and two sixes, but he made it a point to never step out of line, staying on top of the Indian bowlers.
“You hear about this switch hits in the media a lot, that he is a bit of a cowboy sort of thing,” said opening batsman Matt Renshaw when asked to describe Maxwell’s knock. “He just played some good cricket shots today. He is a class player and he showed that he could do it in Test cricket today. Hopefully, he can continue that tomorrow,” added Renshaw while speaking to reporters after the game.
“I’ve never personally played with him so I’m sure if it’s normal or something different. But I think he’s looked pretty calm and relaxed and showed that he could play well, and he did well today,” Renshaw said.
‘First session of Day 2 will be crucial’
Renshaw reckoned the first session on Day 2 could decide the course of the third Test against India.
“I think tomorrow first session is going to be one of the most crucial in this match. If we can win that session then we go a long way in winning the Test match,” Renshaw said.
The southpaw praised his skipper for making his bat talk after the DRS controversy in the Bengaluru Test. “I think he’s handled this whole situation really well,” Renshaw said.
“He showed how its done and that we’re here for a cricket series. He didn’t throw it away. He could have played a couple of bad shots, like some of the others did, like I did, but he did not play. So, I think he just made the most of it and made a big score.”
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