AUS vs IND: Here is why Glenn Maxwell apologised to KL Rahul in 1st ODI

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League finished on 10th November and India’s tour of Australia commenced on 27th November. While there was not a lot of gap between the two fixtures, there was a lot of difference between the performances of certain players. Australia pouched the first ODI comfortably as they mounted a tall total and India fell way short of the target.

The heroes in the Australian victory were Aaron Finch and Steve Smith, both struck centuries. Another noted performance came from Glenn Maxwell. The right-hander scored 45 runs in just 19 balls which included five boundaries and three sixes. This performance was in stark contrast with the one he gave in the recently-concluded IPL. In the 13 IPL matches he played this year for Kings XI Punjab, Maxwell totalled 108 runs in 106 balls and could not hit even a single six.

James Neesham, his KXIP teammate, had a similarly disappointing campaign. The New Zealand all-rounder scored 19 runs in 18 balls and took 2 wickets in 15 overs he delivered in the season. Neesham too hit his straps in the first T20I against West Indies. His unbeaten knock of 48 from 24 balls helped New Zealand seal a victory.

On Twitter, KXIP fans poured their outrage as the IPL non-performers did astoundingly well for their national teams. While Neesham laughed it off, Maxwell replied that he apologised to KL, his KXIP captain, while he was batting. Rahul was keeping wickets at that time.

Here is the exchange: