Australia’s batsmen were utterly dominant against the Indian pacers in the first One Day International between the two nations at the Sydney Cricket Stadium on Friday, November 27. The hosts put up a lofty score of 374 in their fifty overs, with captain Aaron Finch and Steve Smith both getting tons on the day.

While Smith and Finch hogged the limelight with their mesmerizing strokeplay, a performance that went slightly under the radar was that on Glenn Maxwell. The Australian all-rounder wreaked havoc in the death overs of the innings, scoring a brisk 45 off just 19 balls to augment his team’s total.

Maxwell, who represents Kings XI Punjab in the Dream11 Indian Premier League, took the Indian bowling attack to the cleaners on the day, smashing five fours and three sixes in a dazzling display of power hitting. The performance would have been all the more special for the 32-year-old all-rounder given his below par showing in the 2020 IPL.

He failed to score a single six in IPL 2020, but made amends for that in International colours with a splendid reverse sweep six off Yuzvendra Chahal. Maxwell also expertly picked the gaps on the off-side against the pacers to put up a show for the spectators in Sydney and others watching all round the world.

The Australian all-rounder could not stay till the end for his country as he was deceived by a Mohammed Shami delivery in the 45th over, mistiming his shot to be caught in the deep. Nevertheless, his quick cameo ensured that Australia put up their highest team score since the 2019 Cricket World Cup, and also the third highest team total ever by any opposition against India.

Shami impresses for India

Another Kings XI Punjab player in Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers for India, ending with figures of 3/59 on a largely forgettable day for their bowling attack. Shami picked up the crucial wickets of David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell, breaking flourishing partnerships on all three occasions and ensuring Australia’s team total didn’t go out of bounds. The 30-year-old was also the only bowler on the day to maintain an economy rate of under six an over, which is impressive considering the Aussies scored at nearly eight an over.