Australia could not win the first ODI of the ongoing series against India, at Chennai. However, there were positives to take away from the match for Steven Smith and his men ahead of the second ODI, at Kolkata. The way Nathan Coulter-Nile single-handedly brought the Indian top-order down to its feet and James Faulkner’s utter reluctance to give up definitely impressed all and sundry. However, there was one incident in the match which left the Chennai crowd stunned. Though they saw their beloved captain Virat Kohli depart for a duck, Glenn Maxwell’s stunning catch stole the show, overshadowing the loss of the big wicket.
Like all Australians, Maxwell is renowned as an excellent fielder. But even by his standards, this catch was outstanding. India were already stuttering at 11 for 1 losing Ajinkya Rahane for 5, putting their hopes on saviour Kohli. The crowd welcomed the Indian captain with a loud cheer in anticipation of yet another stunning knock and continue with his excellent run against the Australians. As things turned out, he managed to score a duck, facing four deliveries before departing.
Kohli went for one of his signature drives through backward point. The wide, pitched-up delivery offered Kohli with less reaction time but a lot of room. Playing on the up, Kohli did not anticipate that he would not be able to clear Maxwell. Maxwell jumped high up in the air to bag the catch with his right hand. It did not end there: he even landed on his feet, retaining his balance, indicating how much at ease he was during the entire flow of events. The wicket reduced India to 11 for 2.
India lost their top-order quickly and were later revived by MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya to reach 281 for 7 after 50 overs. They went on to win the rain-curtailed match by 26 runs via Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.