As Glenn Maxwell plundered sixes throughout his explosive cameo on the SCG on Friday, Indian wicketkeeper KL Rahul would have been seething from behind the stumps.
Maxwell’s entertaining knock featured three sixes and 5 boundaries, his 45 off 19 balls guiding Australia to a formidable first innings whole.
It was a masterful show from the middle-order batsman, and prompted an apology to the opposition gloveman.
Maxwell was signed by Kings XI Punjab — who’re captained by Rahul — on a mammoth $2.2 million contract for the this yr’s Indian Premier League.
Sadly, the 32-year-old was unable to validate his seven-figure sum, scoring simply 108 runs in 13 appearances. He couldn’t even muster a six within the T20 match.
Maxwell was finally dropped by the Kings XI, the selectors choosing their $2.2 million import to hold the drinks.
It subsequently would have been immensely irritating for Rahul to observe Maxwell rediscover his type in Australian colors on Friday.
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham suffered an identical destiny, dropped by the Kings XI after a cluster of poor performances earlier than pulling off a matchwinning efficiency in opposition to the West Indies on Friday.
The 30-year-old smacked an unbeaten 48 in a cultured T20 innings at Eden Park, emulating Maxwell’s return to type throughout the Tasman.
Neesham shared a meme about Rahul’s frustration on Twitter, to which Maxwell sheepishly replied: “I apologised to him whereas I used to be batting.”
Australia will face India for the second ODI on the SCG on Sunday.
