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Melbourne: Glenn Maxwell smashed 96 off 83 balls as Australia thrashed below-par India by three wickets in the third one-day match at Melborne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Allrounder comes up trumps with brilliant 96 to lead nervy run-chase in third ODI against India
Maxwell helped rebuild the innings with Shaun Marsh after the loss of Steve Smith and George Bailey before lifting the tempo in the final overs when the required run rate ballooned beyond seven runs an over.
In many ways it was a typical innings from Maxwell, including a reverse sweep for four, an outrageous slap down the ground for six, some incredible shots in the final over and then, unfortunately for him, his wicket as he chased the winning runs and a century in one final big shot.
Two players who have been in and out of this ODI side in recent years - Shaun Marsh and John Hastings - did their chances of more action this series no harm with some strong performances here. Hastings was retained in the squad following a good showing in Brisbane and produced career-best figures of 4-58 as Australia kept the tourists under 300.
Marsh then followed up his 71 in Brisbane with another half-century, but he may well be the man to sit out again if David Warner returns to the squad for the rest of the series.
Earlier, Virat Kohli has peeled off scores of 91, 59 and 117 to add to an ODI career that could one day challenge that of the great Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli's century today, his 24th in ODI cricket, took him beyond 7000 career runs and added to his brilliant 169 at this venue in the Boxing Day Test last summer.
The 27-year-old averages a century every 6.71 innings in ODI cricket and is already almost halfway to Tendulkar's record of 49 career centuries. The shot that moved him from 95 to 99 today, a violent snap of the wrists that sent a straight Kane Richardson delivery flying over mid-wicket and to the boundary, was breathtaking.
Steve Smith makes cricket look almost too easy at times. Having hammered the Indian bowlers all around Australia for the past two summers, the skipper was at his best in the field today in brilliant a double act with Glenn Maxwell on the boundary line.
The skipper moved swiftly to his right on the rope at long-on when Ajinkya Rahane latched on to a John Hastings delivery, calmly taking the ball with both hands as his momentum threatened to carry him over the rope.
Not to worry, Smith calmly flicked the ball back into play to the approaching Maxwell, not even breaking stride as he stradled the rope and then accepted a high five from Maxwell. Brilliant.
Brief scores
India - 295 for 6 (Kohli 117, S Dhawan 68, Rahane 50, Hastings 4-58)
Australia - 296 for 7 (Maxwell 96, SE Marsh 62)
Result - Australia won by 3 wickets
MOM - Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
