R Sridhar hails Glenn Maxwell, calls him 'top performer' against India in third T20I match

Guwahati (Assam) [India], November 29 : Former Indian fielding coach R Sridhar heaped praise on Glenn Maxwell's matchwinning 104-run knock from 48 balls and said that the Aussie batting-allrounder was the 'top performer' against the 'Men in Blue' in the third T20I match at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday.
After coming on the crease in the 5.4 overs of the second inning, the 35-year-old all-rounder smashed eight fours and sixes. He was the only standout batter for the Aussie squad in the run chase. Maxwell scored 104 runs with a strike rate of 216.67.
Sridhar lauded Maxwell and said the all-rounder believed in himself that he could pull off something big all the time when he goes to bat.
"You could expect this kind of innings only from someone like Maxwell. Obviously, there were a couple of other good performances like Ruturaj's innings and Jason Behrendorff's 1/12 in 4 overs, but Maxwell was definitely the top performer of the day. He's got that belief that he'll pull off something like this all the time when he goes into bat, and the kind of power he generates through his bat swing is quite amazing," Sridhar said in a conversation on JioCinema.
The former Indian fielding coach explained how Maxwell got a new shot in his stock where he comes outside the line of the ball and smashes it over the leg side.
"Each time I look at his technique, it never ceases to amaze me. Because the way that bottom hand comes down and the speed he generates is magnificent. Also, he's got a new shot in his repertoire where he goes well outside the line of the ball and hits it over the leg side, especially behind square," he added.
Recapping the match, Suryakumar Yadav's 'Men in Blue' posted a total of 222/3 with Ruturaj Gaikwad scoring his maiden ton and going unbeaten with a score of 123 off 57 balls.
In reply, after a high-scoring start to the game, wickets tumbled quickly allowing India to take control of the game. Maxwell channelled his inner self that guided Australia to victory against Afghanistan in the World Cup and silenced the Indian bowling line-up with his brute strength.
Back-to-back maximums in Arshdeep's over was the beginning of the chaos that was about to unfold in the death overs. During the calm before the storm, Suryakumar Yadav dropped Matthew Wade's catch as well.
The final two overs saw Prasidh Krishna and Axar Patel combining to concede 45 runs. Prasidh had 21 runs to defend in the final over but Maxwell with his raw hitting power left the speedster with no answers. Australia clinched the victory by five wickets.
India will square off against Australia in the fourth match of the five-game series on Friday at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.