Emotions keep flowing in for Maxwell after ‘much-awaited’ ton

Talking about his maiden Test century, Maxwell said, “It was probably more the emotions of the whole night I had as well. You go to sleep at 82 not out, I thought about it all night. I went through about 300 to 400 different scenarios that could’ve happened the next day, most of them weren’t good.”

Published : Mar 17, 2017 19:38 IST , Ranchi

Glenn Maxwell kisses the helmet after scoring a century against India in Ranchi on Friday.
Glenn Maxwell kisses the helmet after scoring a century against India in Ranchi on Friday.
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Glenn Maxwell kisses the helmet after scoring a century against India in Ranchi on Friday.

He lifted his arms in triumph and walked up to embrace his skipper. Labelled a limited-overs specialist, Glenn Maxwell’s disciplined Test hundred here on Friday marked a breakthrough moment for him in the longer form of his game.

Talking about his maiden Test century, Maxwell said, “It was probably more the emotions of the whole night I had as well. You go to sleep at 82 not out, I thought about it all night. I went through about 300 to 400 different scenarios that could’ve happened the next day, most of them weren’t good.”

He added, “So much emotion fell out of me as soon as I got that hundred. Even thinking about it now, I’ve got a frog in my throat. It’s as special a moment as I’ve had in my career and hopefully it’s not the last.”

His Test career – this is Maxwell’s only fourth Test – has been one of unfulfilled promises. “It’s been a long time between drinks since 2014, my last Test. To get back in the side in the first place was something I really held close to my heart.”

Maxwell spoke about being consistent—an attribute that has eluded him so far—and said, “Hopefully, this innings ticks something inside me.”

The Aussie spoke about the ability of skipper Steven Smith to lift the team. “He’s inspirational. He probably lifts the team to another level because he makes the game look so easy as well. He’s a guy that people feed off.”

On how this surface could behave in the last three days, Maxwell said, “I have no idea but I hope it explodes.”

For India, paceman Umesh Yadav bowled with a lot of heart. On bowling to Steven Smith, he said, “At times it's very difficult to bowl against him. You bowl with a particular plan but sometimes he changes his stance, shuffles from leg-stump to off. You have to keep an eye on him till the last moment and ball accordingly.”

Queried on the surface, he said, “I don't think pitch has changed. Still hope for the best. The pitch is easy to bat on. Can't predict how the wicket will behave.”

Asked about his bowling Umesh said, “I am doing the same thing but the confidence level is high. Now I have slowly realised my strengths and weaknesses. Some wrote about my tendency to bowl at the pads, I no longer do that.”

He had words of appreciation for left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. “He never moves away from his spots and bowls tirelessly at the same spot. If he gets the tiniest of rough, he knows where to pitch it.”

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