Australia vs India 2020-21: Best combined XI of T20I series

Glenn Maxwell at No.4:

Glenn Maxwell had a disastrous IPL and was mocked by a former Indian cricketer. The batting all-rounder waited for his turn at his home and proved his mettle in the ODI series. The expectations naturally soared high as Maxwell came out for the T20I series for he is one of the most exciting players to watch in that format. The 32-year-old, however, failed to meet the expectations but also conveyed the message that he matters a lot when Australia need to win.

In the first game, Maxwell was dismissed by debutant T Natarajan for only two when the Aussies needed to steady their ship in the chase of 162 and the home team fell short by 11 runs. In the second match, too, Maxwell was expected to give the Australian innings a push but his promising knock met an premature end (22 off 13) and the Australians had to settle for a total that would have otherwise been bigger.

But the batsman came to the party in the third game that the hosts were desperate to win to salvage some pride. He came out to join an in-form Wade halfway in the Australian innings after Steve Smith fell and added 90 runs in less than nine overs to help his team put up a challenging total.

Maxwell slammed 54 in just 36 balls in the game — his eighth fifty overall in T20Is and the first since October 2019. He then came back to open the bowling and picked the crucial wicket of Rahul in the very first over. Australia won the encounter by 12 runs to make it 1-2 and Maxwell showed how much he matters for the Yellow Jerseys when they are eyeing a win. Maxwell, who averages 46 in T20Is in India and can be a handy bowler, will be one of Australia’s top pillars in the T20 World Cup next year.