‘Is Maxwell here?’ - Virat Kohli was surprised by the exclusion of Glenn Maxwell from Australia's ODI squad

Virat Kohli’s India took less than a week to turn the tides around. After getting hammered by Australia by 10 wickets in the first match in Mumbai on January 14, the Men in Blue met fire with fire and won the next two games dominantly to pocket the series 2-1. Kohli played a majestic knock of 89 which though was second-best to Rohit Sharma’s 118 in the decider in Bengaluru on Sunday as India thrashed the opponents by seven wickets.

Kohli later expressed surprise over the fact that Australia didn’t pick their talented batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for this short tour. Maxwell, who is currently leading Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL) at home has been a match-winner for the Kangaroos in the limited-over format.

Last year, too, he played a crucial role in Australia’s undefeated run in India, especially in the T20I series in which he was the man of the series. Maxwell is also well-acquainted with the Indian conditions as he plays in the Indian Premier League regularly.

Glenn Maxwell had delivered impressive performances in the previous IND-AUS series

“Honestly I did not look at the (squad) and I asked Aaron that have you got only 14… and asked ‘Is Maxwell here?’ and they said he is playing the BBL,” Kohli was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. “I was a bit surprised that he wasn’t here, especially the way he performed last time in the T20 series. He got a hundred in the last game and they won the series. So surprised not to see him because he brings the spinning option as well.”

Maxwell hit an unbeaten hundred in the second T20I against India during their 2019 tour at the same venue to win the series for the visitors. In the recent past, Kohli also praised Maxwell after the latter pulled out of cricket to address his mental health, saying it was something “remarkable” on Maxwell’s behalf and urged people to respect his decision.

Meanwhile, Australia captain Aaron Finch said after his team’s defeat in Bengaluru on Sunday that Maxwell is currently out of the top seven Australian batsmen despite his brilliant show with the bat in the BBL. Finch though added that the 31-year-old Maxwell could still get a recall.

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