"Going to be a big series, especially with the World Cup" - Glenn Maxwell on ODI series against India
Dynamic Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has said that he has made a conscious effort to increase his workload leading up to a busy few months of cricket. The 34-year-old reckons the ODI series in India will be critical, ahead of the 2023 World Cup in the country in October.
Maxwell, along with Mitchell Marsh and Jhye Richardson, returned to Australia's 16-man ODI squad for the upcoming ODI series in India following a lengthy injury layoff. The Victorian had injured his left leg after the T20 World Cup 2022, forcing him to miss plenty of action.
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Speaking to reporters, Maxwell said that the ODI series in India is an opportunity for Australia to work out their gameplan for the 2023 World Cup. As quoted by cricket.com.au, the veteran said:
"Having not played for three and a half months, I made a conscious decision to make sure I filled up my calendar with cricket to lead into that World Cup of the back end of the year. We've got the one-day series, which is going to be a big series, especially with the World Cup in India, and will be a good opportunity for us to try and work out some things and get our game plan ready … as well as having the IPL straight after it."
The right-hander returned to Sheffield Shield cricket this week but fell cheaply. He missed the three-game ODI series against England at home and the entire Big Bash League season.
"I think they showed a lot of fight" - Glenn Maxwell on Australia's performance in Test series against India
Speaking about Australia's performance in the ongoing four-match Test series against India, Maxwell said that the tourists did plenty of things right but failed to grab the key moments in both Tests.
The 34-year-old, who was part of the 2017 tour of India, observed how difficult it is to play in India:
"I think they showed a lot of fight. I think bar that one session, I thought they were absolutely outstanding. It's bloody difficult over there. It's not an easy place to play, so foreign for us. I feel like we've been apart from a couple of little moments; we've been in the fight; we've been, um, matching India at different times, and they've shown a lot of fight, just, I suppose, sticking it out for just a little bit longer."
Australia are 2-0 down in the series, with the third Test set to take place in Indore on March 1.