Maxi criticised for first Test ton

“We didn’t even see Glenn Maxwell smacking them like we know he can and he had them (India), he had them by the scruff of the neck.

“Hopefully he learns from this innings and becomes a better player.”

Reaching triple figures was a huge achievement for Maxwell, whose career was at the crossroads late last year when he was dumped from Australia’s one-day team and left out of Victoria’s XI for its Sheffield Shield opener.

He also raised eyebrows in December when he lamented the fact he batted below state captain Matthew Wade at Victoria, earning him a public rebuke from national skipper Steve Smith. On Friday, Smith and Maxwell both roared with delight when the latter reached three figures.

Most reacted positively to Maxwell’s breakthrough innings. Former Aussie leg-spinner Stuart MacGill poked fun at the Matthew Wade situation and the fine handed down to the all-rounder.

So THAT’S why @Gmaxi_32 should bat higher for Victoria…. refund the fine pls! Series winning partnership gents. Congrats #AUSvIND

— stu macgill (@scgmacgill) March 17, 2017

Well played @Gmaxi_32 on your maiden Test 💯💯💯
Selectors take note… first class stats don’t lie. Pick guys with strong first class numbers.

— Dean Jones (@ProfDeano) March 17, 2017

In October, Maxwell wasn’t selected for Victoria. He scores a debut Test century five months later. He never lost the belief in his ability.

— Adam White (@White_Adam) March 17, 2017

Cant believe Maxwell’s batting above Wade 😛 @FOXCricketLive#IndvAus & i mean would u pick a player who hasnt scored a FC ton for 2 yrs? 😛

— Bernie Coen (@berniecoen) March 17, 2017

The Big Show is dead. Long live… Maxwell Smart. #INDvAUS

— Daniel Brettig (@danbrettig) March 17, 2017

By scoring a ton in the whites, Maxwell became just the second Australian behind Shane Watson and the 13th player overall to make hundreds in all three forms of the game.

Speaking after play, Maxwell revealed the torment he’d endured between stumps on day one and the start of day two.

“It was more the emotion of the whole night I had before,” he said. “You go to sleep 82 not out, you’ve just put on 150 with the skipper. I thought about it all night and I went through about 300-400 different scenarios that could have happened the next day and most of them weren’t good.

“So much emotion just fell out of me as soon as I got that hundred and even thinking about it now I’m getting a frog in my throat. It was the most special moment I’ve had in my career and hopefully it’s not the last.

“I didn’t want to waste the opportunity. I didn’t want to make it my last Test.”

SMITH MAKES HISTORY AGAIN

Smith has an insatiable appetite for runs.Source:AFP

On day one Steve Smith became the youngest Australian to score 19 Test centuries and shared in Australia’s highest ever fifth-wicket partnership in India with Glenn Maxwell.

But he wasn’t done there.

Starting the day on 117, the Australian captain just kept churning out the runs. When Josh Hazlewood was the last man out, Smith walked off the field alongside him, unbeaten on 178.

The right-hander hit 17 fours in 361 balls as he held the visitors’ innings together, hell bent on doing everything in his power to win this third Test.

His special performance saw him record the highest ever score by an Australian captain in India, going past Michael Clarke’s 130 in Chennai in 2013.

He became the first Aussie leader to go past the 150 mark in the country when he raised his bat for a third time in Ranchi and also became just the fifth visiting captain to score 150 in India.

PAT CUMMINS SHOWS US WHAT WE’VE BEEN MISSING

Cummins was pumped to be playing Test cricket again.Source:AFP

Australian cricket fans will have liked what they saw in Pat Cummins’ first Test match since 2011.

After starring on debut against South Africa nearly six years ago, the New South Welshman showed glimpses of just how special he can be given an extended run on the park. The paceman picked up Australia’s only wicket on day two when he was too quick and too aggressive for Lokesh Rahul.

Despite the pitch offering no assistance for the fast men, Cummins got a short ball to rise sharply, setting the Indian opener on the back foot and surprising him as he pulled one hand off the bat handle. Fortunately for the visitors the ball clipped the other glove and Matthew Wade pouched a safe catch behind the stumps.

The risk with bowlers who bowl with extreme pace is they can often be expensive, but Cummins found his range from his very first over. He sent down 10 overs and conceded only 22 runs, making him Steve Smith’s most economical member of the attack.

FAKE DOCTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR KOHLI FIASCO

Kohli didn’t make it onto the field at all on day two.Source:AFP

Everyone can have their 15 minutes of fame, even if your job is as humble as pushing trolleys around a hospital.

India was sent into meltdown when a man wearing a white apron purporting to be a doctor at the Ranchi hospital issued a statement to a throng of waiting media, dropping the bombshell that Virat Kohli was set to miss the rest of the series against Australia with his bung shoulder.

“While the bones are intact, there is a ligament tear and he was having acute problems in hand movement,” the man said. “We have advised 15-20 days rest.”

The only problem was the man in the white apron wasn’t actually a doctor at all, but a “technician” at the hospital.

In other words, he’s the bloke who pushes the buttons to turn the MRI machine on and off.

The BCCI twice gave updates suggesting Kohli would return to the field momentarily, but that never happened.

“Relevant investigations have revealed that there are no serious concerns which will hamper his speedy recovery from a strain in his right shoulder,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“He will continue to receive treatment which will assist him to participate in the rest of the match.”

India appeared hesitant and directionless without its fearless leader at the helm. Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane was happy to let the game meander along as the Aussie batsmen continued to pile on the runs.

“Kohli does tend to fire them up a little bit so that was lacking when he was off the field for the Indians,” Allan Border told Fox Sports.

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin agreed.

“I think they missed his aggression in the field,” he said. “It just looked like the game ambled on and that’s one thing to Kohli’s credit is he doesn’t let the game just move on. He tries to be proactive in everything he does, so I think they missed his captaincy.”

— with Ben Horne, News Corp Australia

JADEJA TAKES HIS CHANCE

Jadeja the destroyer.Source:AFP

Ravi Ashwin has had a bigger workload than his partner in crime Ravindra Jadeja in this series.

Before the third Test the right-arm off-spinner had sent down 124.3 overs compared to Jadeja’s 96.4. Ashwin picked up 15 wickets in Pune and Bangalore while Jadeja nabbed 12 scalps.

But on day two in Ranchi Jadeja was given the rare honour of delivering 49.3 overs while Ashwin only bowled 34, and he repaid his captain’s faith.

Virat Kohli often turns to Ashwin first and bowls him in longer spells than Jadeja, but with the regular skipper off the field with a shoulder injury, Ajinkya Rahane was in charge and gave the left-arm tweaker every chance to impress.

He bowled brilliantly, tying down the batsmen and picking up wickets at the same time. He finished with 5/124 and may be asking Kohli for increased responsibility when he returns to action.

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